On One Condition
by Spunky0ne
Summary: When the three worlds face destruction and hope seems lost, Aizen Sousuke agrees to help...on one condition. But he finds as he moves forward, that starting over is not easy...and the only one he can trust is the man he forced into marriage...mpreg
1. The Bastardizing of Love

**On One Condition**

**By Spunky0ne**

**(Hello Aizen/Bya lovers! I recently realized how badly I had been neglecting you, and so I decided to give you a special treat…my first new Aizen/Bya story in quite a while. I will also continue the others already in progress, but I thought up this love story and just had to get it out there. It is AU and it is actually more of an exploration of these two complex characters than action oriented…although they will face a serious threat as the story goes on. But the focus of the story is on an unlikely pair who are brought together in an unusual way, and have to navigate an emotional minefield as they slowly discover the truth of each other. Enjoy! Love Spunky )**

**Chapter 1: The Bastardizing of Love**

"Do you, Aizen Sousuke, take Kuchiki Byakuya to be your lawfully wedded spouse, to have and to hold from this day forward? For better of for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, will you love, honor and cherish him for all the days of your lives?"

Aizen smiled at the lovely noble, who stood facing him, pale hands held lightly in his. He admired the beautiful kimono that graced his slender body…an angelic body about to be made his, and marveled at the turn his life had taken.

"I will."

Byakuya looked back at him with a lost, almost vulnerable expression, still grappling with how his own life had been upended, and he had ended up being married to the devil himself. He managed to stand quietly and to give the appropriate responses, but inside, his heart was in torment.

"And do you, Kuchiki Byakuya, take Aizen Sousuke to be your lawfully wedded spouse, to have and to hold from this day forward? For better of for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, will you love, honor and cherish him for all the days of your lives?"

His mind drifted back to that morning…how it had begun in the normal way, meeting Rukia for breakfast on the patio in the gardens, enjoying a slow walk to the waterfall, then walking on to work, where Renji greeted him with a cup of hot tea, the morning report, and a friendly smile. Everything had been going as was expected until the urgent message from Soutaichou arrived. He and Renji had both been called, and all of the taichous and fukutaichous had gathered. And when Soutaichou had told them why they were gathered, a heavy shock had stricken all of them…but most especially Byakuya.

"_I have just received a communiqué from Central 46…a direct order signed by his royal majesty, Yoshiaki. The king and Central 46 relayed to me that for several months now, they and the Royal Guard have been working to avoid a disaster that threatens to end our worlds. A disruption in the spiritual core of our worlds has caused a dangerous destabilization that will quickly bring about the end of everything we fight to protect. At first the king and Central 46 sought to repair the damage, but as they made their attempts, it became clear that it was beyond their ability to do so. Simply put, there was no one…not even the king, whose powers were sufficient to enter the spiritual core and bring it back into balance. They embarked upon a search to try to find another way to deal with the situation, but came up with nothing. So…it seems that we are forced to contemplate something unspeakable. Central 46 was able to identify only one shinigami who could do this thing…Aizen Sousuke."_

_The gathered taichous and fukutaichous gasped in dismay as Aizen stepped into the room and took a place alongside Soutaichou._

"_We are all aware of what happened in the past, but our choices being to work with this man or to see our worlds end, we are forced to make this concession. Central 46 made the official request, which Aizen has accepted…on one condition. I will allow him to explain."_

_Aizen smiled, and his eyes touched Byakuya's for a moment, sending a soft shiver of foreboding down his spine._

"_I will admit that I was somewhat tempted to refuse Central 46's request," Aizen said calmly, "If for no reason other than I would be all that survived the destruction. But as I considered the matter, I found that I preferred a somewhat different path. To be honest, I never wanted so much to rule the worlds as to find a comfortable place within them. But my vast powers drew so much suspicion and hatred that I felt pushed into a position where I had to act as I did. But I began to wonder, if perhaps it wasn't control I sought, but comfort. And so the conclusion I came to is that comfort in the worlds as they exist is the much more attractive offer. However, there is still the matter of my powers, and the perception of me. So to make it fair, I asked for one condition on my agreement to assist. I made three requests, which the king has ordered to be honored…one now and the other two when I have successfully completed my task."_

_He paused and his eyes swept around the room and came to rest on Byakuya again._

"_The king has promised that, in return for taking action to save our worlds, he will first, commute my sentence and free me. Secondly, I shall be given a 'clean slate' and no one among the shinigamis, humans or hollows will remember what led to my being incarcerated."_

_He paused as a shockwave ran through the gathered officers, then smiled again and continued._

"_The final agreement, and the one that will take place now is that in return for my assistance, I will be, by royal order, given the right to choose a life partner from among the noble clans. And the noble I choose…is Kuchiki Byakuya."_

"I will," Byakuya said softly.

"Then by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you partners in life, bonded in love, with the blessing of Yoshiaki, our esteemed king. You may now share a kiss as a token of your affection."

Byakuya closed his eyes as Aizen turned and cupped his cheek with a surprisingly gentle hand.

"Open your eyes. I want to see them when we kiss."

He forced his eyes to open and meet the other man's and held dutifully still as Aizen's lips captured and warmly possessed his. He caught a breath of Aizen's pleasant scent and felt the man's mouth smiling against his…and he wanted to kill him.

_If not for what fate the three worlds would then meet…_

Aizen's head tilted, and his tongue pushed into the noble's mouth. Never having partaken of such deep kissing with his late wife, Byakuya was soundly shocked. He managed to remain still as Aizen's tongue not-so-gently explored him, then retreated.

"I present to you, for the first time…Aizen Sousuke and Aizen Byakuya."

If the kiss hadn't been shocking enough, the loss of his family name was even worse…

"Now then," Aizen said, looking into his new spouse's widened eyes, "I will attend to the problem in the spiritual core of our worlds…and when I return, I will come to Kuchiki Manor…for the consummation of our marriage."

He took Byakuya's startled lips again in a last, powerful kiss that left the noble's legs weak, then flash stepped away with a group of the king's guards. As they disappeared, King Yoshiaki approached Byakuya and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"I am sorry to have had to ask this of you," he said apologetically, "Had there been any choice, we certainly would never have done this."

"I understand," said Byakuya, nodding, "I could not be so selfish as to doom our worlds to that kind of ending if there was something I could do to save them."

"But I understand this will be difficult for you. I can only poorly express my gratitude, and offer you the comfort of knowing that we are forever in your debt. Through your selflessness, our worlds will stabilize, and…the hougyoku will be destroyed in the process. Also…all knowledge of the hougyoku and how to create it will disappear. Aizen will still be a powerful shinigami, but he will no longer have transcendent powers. The fact that the others around you will not remember his past actions will bring some comfort to you, in that there will be no backlash for his indiscretions. You will proceed from this moment forward in peace. All will be as though his betrayal had not occurred."

"Yes, your majesty," Byakuya said softly.

The king released his shoulder, but continued to look into his eyes.

"Byakuya," he said quietly, "All will be well. I have ensured that. Trust me, and be at peace."

"I will, my lord," Byakuya replied solemnly, then he watched silently as the king opened a royal senkaimon and he and his entourage passed through it to return to the spirit dimension.

He stood in the, now quiet gardens of his home, his dark eyes blinking slowly and the full weight of what he had done sinking in.

"Nii-sama?" Rukia's voice said softly from behind him, "Are you all right?"

He paused for a moment, then turned and looked down at her calmly.

"I am fine," he told her, "Go now. You have an assignment to see to. I will speak with you upon your return. Be safe, Rukia."

Rukia sighed sadly.

"I will," she promised.

He remained where he was, his eyes rising to the skies as they darkened and slowly the stars and moon came into view.

_It is a lovely night…too lovely for what will likely happen when he returns._

"Torio," he said, raising his voice only slightly.

"Yes sir?"

"I will require your assistance in preparing me for my husband's return."

"Of course, Kuchiki-sama," the youth replied.

Byakuya turned his eyes to the moon, wondering how long he had left, before Aizen appeared again.

_How selfish am I to entertain the desire, even for a moment, to see him fail and to have the worlds just end?_

XXXXXXXXXX

Byakuya turned to face the garden doors as a flash step sounded outside his bedroom, and he felt Aizen's presence. He wondered for a moment at the weakened state of the man's reiatsu, but hadn't time to consider it deeply as Aizen appeared in the doorway and their eyes met. The first thing that struck him was the pain in the man's expression. While he had known that yielding up the hougyoku to bring the spiritual core back into balance would take a toll, he was oddly affected to see weakness in this man as never before…to see him stagger slightly as he entered the room.

"Are you all right, sir?" asked the attendant that Byakuya had assigned to him, his voice showing an unusual amount of concern for a man so hated.

_So this means that his past has been forgotten. But if so…then…why do I remember?_

"I am fine, Koji," Aizen assured the youth, dismissing him.

But as Koji left the room and Aizen started forward, he staggered again and started to fall. Mostly out of simple reflex, Byakuya caught him as he collapsed and eased him into bed, then taking a steadying breath, he slipped into bed beside him. Wordlessly, he leaned over his new spouse, examining him briefly for signs of injury and then gently infusing his body with healing reiatsu.

"Thank you, Byakuya," Aizen said wearily.

He saw then that the noble's eyes were fastened on his bare chest and nodded briefly.

"It is gone, yes," he said quietly, "And in truth, I am glad to be rid of it. I did not realize when I created the hougyoku that it would possess such a strong will. It was a great struggle to control it."

"May I ask you something, Aizen taichou?"

"Please, Byakuya," Aizen said, giving him a tired smile, "I am pleased to have been returned to my place as fifth division taichou, but we are married, and we should call each other by name."

"Sousuke…I have noticed since you arrived that the attendants appear to have forgotten your past misdeeds, as per the king's promise. But…you seem to remember, as do I. Why is that?"

Aizen let out a soft breath.

"I must admit that I was concerned that his majesty might not honor his promises if I allowed myself to forget the past, so I insisted on that part."

"But why do I also remember?"

Aizen smiled and offered him a chaste kiss on the lips.

"Because misery loves company," he said flippantly.

Byakuya sensed that there was more to the situation than what he was saying, but he let the matter drop and returned to healing his new husband. Aizen rested quietly, enjoying the powerful touch of Byakuya's strong reiatsu. He sensed uncertainty and dislike under the noble's calm expression, but it was to be expected under the circumstances. He wondered briefly if he should have allowed Byakuya, too, to be relieved of the past, but decided that he rather enjoyed the honesty of emotion, even if it was, at present, decidedly negative, and he wanted to have a feel for the moment when the attractive noble finally fell for him…if it should ever happen. It looked unlikely as things were, but Aizen found himself somewhat encouraged by Byakuya's gentle actions and calm acceptance of his new reality.

He looked more than a little less certain as Aizen sat up in the bed, and wrapped a hand around one slender wrist, stopping the healing. He met the noble's questioning gray eyes, then leaned forward and pressed his lips to Byakuya's. The noble's body stiffened, and his eyes closed, but he did not resist as Aizen plunged into his mouth, pulling him close and continuing the deep exploration he had begun before. He let out a clipped gasp as Aizen's hand loosed the ties on their clothing and slowly bared their skin. Byakuya's eyes opened, but remained lowered, and his pale skin flushed as Aizen raked the noble's pale, perfect flesh with his eyes, then placed a hand on his naked thigh and leaned forward to kiss him again.

Byakuya took a hissing breath and pulled away as Aizen's hand touched his hardening member. He remained on the bed, but his eyes looked oddly panicked and his breath shortened noticeably. Aizen sighed and observed him quietly for a moment.

"You have never been to bed with a man, ne?" he asked, already expecting he knew what he would hear.

He was taken by surprise at what issued from the noble's pretty lips.

"I am…untouched."

"By men?" Aizen asked.

Byakuya let out a soft breath and looked into Aizen's eyes.

"By…anyone."

Aizen frowned in confusion.

"But you were married…"

Byakuya was silent for a moment, then he lowered his eyes.

"I married her, knowing that she was terminally ill, and we never had relations. It was not something I made known, as the elders of my clan did not support my decision to marry her, and they would have annulled my marriage if they had learned of it."

"I see," said Aizen, "Then you offer me a greater wedding gift than I expected. I am very grateful, Byakuya."

He offered the anxious noble a comforting smile that only seemed to further unsettle him. He moved forward and wrapped his arms around Byakuya, bringing their bodies into close contact.

"Sousuke," Byakuya said, stopping him as he came in for another kiss, "Why did you ask for this? For me?"

Aizen paused and looked into the noble's smoky eyes.

"I was tired of being alone."

"But…why _me_?"

He thought for a long moment, his eyes playing over the noble's lovely flesh, the pleasant scent of sakura piquing his senses, and the powerful feel of Byakuya's strong reiatsu enveloping him.

He sighed and brought a hand to the noble's face.

"It had to be someone strong enough to offer some challenge, someone pleasing to the eyes and enticing to the senses. I needed a mate who was complex enough to be interesting…and I will admit, I was always intrigued by you. You are a quiet, solitary person, Byakuya. And I entertained the thought that maybe…perhaps you might also benefit from a union with me."

"Hmmm," the noble muttered, eyeing him skeptically, "I see. Well, you have maneuvered your way into my life and into my bed now. I will not resist you. But I will tell you that I have no desire to be with you. I loved my wife, and despite her death, I have no wish for another lover. I will honor my commitment to lie with you, but I will not lie and say that I love you…because I do not. And I do not ever see that happening."

"I did not ask you to love me. I only asked you to marry me," Aizen answered calmly, "When you surrender your heart to me, Byakuya, I want to know that I have genuinely conquered you."

He didn't wait for the noble's sarcastic reply, but lunged forward and brought the startled man down onto his back. He met the flaring eyes unblinking, and took possession of a mouth that seethed beneath his. His hot length settled against Byakuya's softer member, teasing it to life as he moved his hips and rubbed the two together. He let his hands roam the noble's body, sliding along the soft, pleasant curves, learning and teasing the sensitive places, and riling the man beneath him until Byakuya both writhed from the rising pleasure and struggled to pull away.

He wet his fingers in his own mouth, sensing that the displeased noble's mouth was not a place he wanted them to enter, as he might not get them back. He attacked the soft, white flesh of Byakuya's throat and licked and sucked at his erect, pink nipples to distract him as he brought his wet fingers to the noble's tight, virgin entrance. Byakuya flinched and his eyes flashed as one finger touched him.

"Relax," Aizen told him quietly, "I am only preparing you so that intercourse will not be painful for you."

Byakuya met his eyes malevolently, but his body relaxed enough to allow penetration. He made a sound of discomfort and disgust as Aizen's finger penetrated him, but quieted gradually as Aizen slid the wet digit in and out of him, and kissed his way down the noble's soft, white belly. He followed the trail of fine, black hairs down to a thick nest of curls, and the now fully erect arousal that rose out of it. Byakuya gasped as he kissed the leaking head and tasted the pearly fluid. He quivered sweetly as Aizen's mouth descended on his length and didn't react at all to the introduction of a second finger to his slowly relaxing bottom. The noble's eyes went hazy and gradually began to lose their anger, and his hips pushed upward to more deeply penetrate his spouse's marauding mouth. Aizen smirked around Byakuya's flushed member, sucking hard and pushing his fingers into the sensitive cluster of nerves inside him. Byakuya gave a gasping cry and released violently into Aizen's hungry mouth, his body shuddering beautifully as he gave himself over to the pleasure. He lay panting and shaking softly, his flushed skin damp with sweat as Aizen parted his unresisting thighs and took position between them.

He didn't take the noble right away, but returned to his mouth, giving him the first, exotic taste of his own passions. He expected that such a thing might cause a negative reaction, but Byakuya simply went perfectly still as his mouth was invaded, then moaned softly and stroked Aizen's invading tongue with his own, oddly aroused by the taste of himself on the other man's lips and tongue. Aizen smiled warmly and welcomed the noble's attentions as he pushed a third finger inside him and hastily finished preparing him. He slid his fingers out of the noble and positioned himself at Byakuya's entrance, still busying his mouth with wet, deep kisses. Byakuya winced and pulled his mouth away from Aizen's as the other man's member touched his entrance.

"Relax, I will move slowly," Aizen said, moving his hips and flinching as Byakuya's fingernails dug into his shoulders.

There was, he found something deeply erotic about the way Byakuya's eyes widened and darkened notably as he was taken. Aizen's cock twitched fitfully in response to the sight, and he closed his eyes and took a calming breath to re-establish control over himself. But the noble's heavy, panting moans as he began thrusting ignited him inside, and he felt that control slipping away again. He wrapped a hand around Byakuya's, once again thickened member, pumping it relentlessly as he deepened his thrusts and felt climax approaching. He held himself in check long enough to have the satisfaction of driving Byakuya's body into a second quaking release as his body seized and he filled his new lover with his blazing seed. Byakuya made a guttural sound that fell somewhere between pain and ecstasy, then fell still beneath Aizen, his dark eyes sparking and fluttering dazedly.

Aizen let his cock slide out of the noble and dropped down beside him. He tried to pull Byakuya into his arms, but merely sighed resignedly and released him again when the noble pulled away. He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep, a contented smile on his face.

Because as much as Byakuya's resistance might annoy him, it was far better than being bound and powerless. It was better than being alone.

_Yes, for the moment, I have what I need to content myself. It would seem I am happy. But I know better than to allow my guard to fall away entirely. As much as the king has given his word that no one will remember what happened before and that I can proceed with my life without fear, I know better. Treachery exists in all places. And the ones who trust blindly are the ones who die soonest. I must remain wary…_

_Always…_


	2. History Rewritten

**Chapter 2: History Rewritten**

**(My deepest thanks to Anelir-sensei, geecee, lilbit1016, digzzz, Byakuyafangirl, Walkure, "Holy shit that was perfection," Sariniste, ThisLittlePiggyStayedHome, WhipOfLightHeartOfSword, Pineapple55 and SlytherinQueen020 for your lovely, sweet reviews. And a note to Bouquet Stardom…There is nothing about this story that is "The same old storyline." There is more to this story than meets the eye. You just need to relax and let it happen. As for Aizen's badassedness and Byakuya's seemingly docile acceptance of what happened? Realize that Byakuya was in shock and hadn't begun to react yet…and that Aizen just expended enough force to shatter and destroy the hougyoku while he was restoring balance to the spiritual core of the three worlds. The boys were a bit distracted (as anyone would be, being blindsided by the near-ending of their worlds), but will regain their senses here. A story is never revealed fully in the first chapter, but is an experience. It's up to you to give it a chance and to approach it with an open mind. Peace…)**

"Taichou?" Renji said questioningly, as Byakuya opened the door and entered the sixth division office, "What are you doing back here? It's your wedding night, ne? You've been looking forward to this. I would have thought that you and Aizen taichou would be curled up for the night and thinking about your upcoming honeymoon."

"My…?" Byakuya began, "Oh…yes, well, I…"

"That's my Taichou for you. Can't leave work at work and let himself enjoy life. There's always that one more thing you have to do, huh?"

"Yes…yes, I realized that I…had a couple more things to do here and…"

"Hey, just tell me what it is and I'll take care of it," Renji assured him, "That's why you have a fukutaichou, ne?"

Byakuya shook his head.

"It's something I have to do myself."

"What?" asked Renji.

"Renji," Byakuya went on, desperate to change the subject, "You are…taking this all rather well. I mean, after what happened only yesterday, that kiss we shared. You must be…"

Renji smiled and shook his head gently.

"Hey, it was a wonderful moment, and I was really, really flattered, Taichou. You mean a lot to me too. But you didn't know then that we were about to find him, so yeah, you kissed me and we were maybe going to start something. But I know how devastated you were when everyone thought it was Aizen, Gin and Tousen who betrayed us."

"Wh-what?" Byakuya asked, blinking.

"I mean, who would have known? Who would have ever imagined that those demons could have abducted three taichous and impersonated them like that without anyone, not even Yamamoto Soutaichou suspecting? That was some really scary gigai technology they used…stealing and using their powers? Making us all believe we were fighting them? It's just lucky that Urahara-san figured things out and they killed the demon impersonating Aizen taichou. I just hope that they can find the other two, you know? Hollows are enough of a concern, but demons from the spirit dimension? You and Aizen taichou should keep your guard up. Ichimaru taichou and Tousen taichou too."

"But…"

"Oh, sorry to have to leave you, Taichou, but I have to get going. Rukia and our friends and I are all going out tonight in Karakura Town…sort of our own celebration of the _real_ end of the war, you know?"

"R-right," Byakuya said, nodding briefly, "Please give my regards to my sister."

"I will, Taichou," Renji said, smiling and opening the door, "And you get back home and enjoy your wedding night. After all, it's not every day that your dreams come true."

"…or your nightmares," Byakuya breathed, watching Renji disappear out the door.

He gave a flustered sigh and dropped into his chair, then picked up the report on top and scanned it carefully, his brow furrowing.

_"Taichous Aizen, Ichimaru and Tousen were located in the depths of the prisons of Las Noches, surrounded in a restrictive kido and with their bodies and their reiatsu heavily obscured. Abarai fukutaichou and I ascertained from available evidence at the scene (the prisoner's log and other attached written documents) that they must have been abducted from the Seireitei well before their alleged betrayal._

"And this is my signature," Byakuya mused, "But…"

He caught his breath as the scene appeared in his mind, as if it was memory.

_"Be cautious," he warned the search team, we don't know what we are going to encounter here. This section of the prisons is said to have housed the most powerful of Aizen's prisoners. It is our duty to release any shinigamis we find here. Come, Renji."_

_"Hai, Taichou," the redhead said, flash stepping after them._

_The search team spread out, and he and Renji surveyed the prison log briefly, then followed a set of corridors down to the deepest level. They destroyed the heavy, sealed door that led into the cellblock and walked in through the billowing dust. Only three cells appeared to hold any prisoners._

_"It doesn't say who they are," said Renji, checking the log book, "but they've been here since before Aizen's time as leader of the hollows."_

_"They may be shinigamis who witnessed something, but who the demons thought would be useful," Byakuya surmised._

_"Yeah," agreed Renji, "You're probably right."_

_Renji moved off to the right and Byakuya moved to the door on the left, looking in through the tiny, dirty viewing window, then blowing the heavy, sealed door off its hinges. He stepped into the room and turned on the lights, illuminating the pale, restrained and unconscious man on the bed in the room. He didn't recognize the face, but as he grew closer, he sensed the presence of masking spells. He gathered his reiatsu and smashed through them, then gasped as he realized who he was looking at._

_"Oh my kami, Urahara-san was right!" he whispered, "Sousuke!"_

_He freed the bound man and leaned over him, infusing him with healing reiatsu and calling his name urgently. The other man's eyes blinked slowly and opened. They came to rest on Byakuya, and he gave the noble a weak, but grateful smile._

_"Byakuya," he whispered, "Somehow, I knew it would be you who would find me!"_

_Aizen's arms wrapped around him, and Byakuya's fingers sank into his hair._

_"Are you all right now, Sousuke?" he asked softly._

_Aizen's smile strengthened._

_"I am now, watashi no koi."_

"Ugh," Byakuya muttered, surprised at the intensity and realness of the 'memory' that had been placed in his mind, "Though it does make sense of everything that happened."

He was drawn out of his thoughts as a pair of arms wrapped around him from behind and Aizen's scent touched his senses. Byakuya was suddenly confused at the odd emotion that ran through him, the desire to turn into the man's arms and return the gentle kiss that Aizen planted on his neck.

_It must be because of the alternate memory planted in my mind_, he reasoned, stiffening as Aizen turned him and began a gentle, but annoyingly insistent assault on his mouth.

"What are you doing here?" Byakuya managed between the deluge of hard, penetrating kisses, "I am working."

"Come now," said Aizen, smiling against his protesting lips, "It is well past working hours, and it is our wedding night."

Byakuya scowled as Aizen pushed him backwards, onto his desk, then pushed in between his thighs and attacked his mouth again. And although his instinct was to pull away, he felt something odd in Aizen's kisses…something that failed to register as cockiness and fell somewhere closer to relief and honest desire. He pushed the man away roughly and placed his hands on the edges of the desk to brace himself as he lowered his head and tried to clear his mind. Something dark and fireshot tore through his mind so quickly that he captured only a frozen moment.

_He rested, smiling and completely naked in Aizen Sousuke's warm arms, the heat of the man's release still burning inside him. Aizen's fingers moved slowly through his hair and Byakuya could hear the fast, steady pounding of their hearts as they beat together._

_"Aishiteru yo," he heard himself whisper, "Aizen taichou."_

_Aizen smiled and started to answer, but the two naked shinigamis sat up together as an alarm began to shriek. Aizen looked into his eyes, the smile gone and his eyes dark and serious._

_"Stay here. Do not move from this room until I come back for you."_

"Oh!" Byakuya gasped, placing both hands in the sides of his head as sharp pain exploded inside him.

He felt cool fingertips touch his cheek and Aizen speaking his name in a voice that was filled with concern. The man's strong arms caught him as he slumped and started to fall. He was lifted and carried into his quarters and laid in his bed. A wet washcloth cooled his face, and he sighed softly and started to drift off, but as his mind whirled in slow circles near the edges of sleep, Aizen's voice reached him again.

"Rest now, watashi no koi. You struggle too hard against the barriers. It is not time yet for the full truth to come back to you. It is there inside us both, and he won't be able to stop it from returning. But it cannot be forced, and you will only destroy yourself if you continue this. Relax…let go of it. Just let it go, Byakuya. Trust me."

He felt then, the touch of Aizen's power, the presence of Kyouka Suigetsu, and then a sharp release of tension. He drifted off to sleep in Aizen Sousuke's arms, his mind spinning gently into oblivion.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Good morning Taichou," Renji said quietly from the doorway, "Would you like some tea?"

Byakuya sat up, then put a hand to his head to stave off the instant headache it caused. He sat up, rearranging the pillows behind him and nodded briefly.

"Yes, tea would be good, Abarai, arigato," he said, leaning back and rubbing his eyes.

He looked questioningly around the room as Renji walked out and made his way down the hall. He couldn't sense Aizen Sousuke's presence anywhere in the division office, but seemed to find it somewhere in the area of Kuchiki Manor.

"But…he was here. Last night, he was here. I remember…" he whispered.

He tried to remember what had happened between them and couldn't seem to remember anything beyond Aizen putting his arms around him and kissing him.

"So how did I end up here alone?" the noble mused, "Did he leave? Did I kick him out?"

He tried again to remember and failed.

_I can't remember anything…_

He thought he might have remembered feeling the presence of Kyouka Suigetsu. And that realization made his reiatsu flare with indignation.

_Did he…come here and…use that damned thing to…to take advantage of me?_

"Bastard!" he hissed, startling Renji as the redhead returned to his room.

"Taichou?" Renji queried, looking at him oddly.

"M-my apologies," Byakuya said quickly, climbing out of bed, then blushing as he realized that he was completely naked and Renji was flushed pink and trying to look unaffected.

"Just…leave it on the nightstand," he managed, flash stepping to the closet and grabbing the first yukata he could reach. He wrapped it around himself and stepped out of the closet, pausing as Renji turned his head to look at him and his blush deepened.

"I'm sorry," Byakuya said, looking down at himself, "Is something…wrong?"

"N-no," said Renji, "Not at all, Taichou. It's just that, well, I never saw you wear that shade of red before. It looks really good on you. Where did you get that? Was it Aizen' taichou's wedding gift?"

He looked at the yukata again, blinking.

_I don't remember having this made…_

He caught sight of the embroidered lettering on the pocket and scowled.

_Aizen Byakuya? It must have been him…_

"Yes," he answered shortly.

He found a pair of sandals and slipped them onto his feet, then started out of the room.

"Are you going somewhere, Taichou?" asked Renji, gazing at him in confusion, "What about your tea? Taichou?"

He left Renji staring after him and flash stepped back to Kuchiki Manor, moving swiftly to keep from being seen in the scarlet red yukata. He blazed through the entry gates in a red and white blur, then turned towards his room. Aizen's voice stopped him just short of it.

"Why, Byakuya, you came back," he said, smiling congenially, "I was hoping that you would. And I see you found the wedding gift that I left for you."

He disappeared out of his chair and reappeared a short distance away as a kido blast erupted from the noble's hands and struck the small gazebo, where Aizen had been sitting and enjoying his breakfast. The gazebo disappeared into splinters and shattered glass, and Byakuya flash stepped towards the frowning Aizen, calling his zanpakutou into his hand.

"You bastard!" he snapped, as Aizen's weapon appeared and crossed his, "How dare you use that devil's zanpakutou to take advantage of me!"

"To…take advantage of you," said Aizen, looking mildly surprised, "Byakuya, what are you talking about?"

"You came to the sixth division last night!" Byakuya said angrily, "You started kissing me, and…"

He paused, trying hard to remember what had happened next…how he had left the office and ended up naked in the bed in his quarters.

"I sensed Kyouka Suigetsu! You used that thing to hypnotize me, and you…!"

Aizen shook his head.

"I didn't have sex with you," he said solemnly.

"Yes, you did!" Byakuya insisted, not knowing quite what made him so sure that was what had happened, "I know you did! Why else would you have used that damned zanpakutou on me!"

Realization touched the other man's eyes for a moment, and Aizen smiled at him.

"I must confess," he said, looking at Byakuya between their crossed swords, "I did come to your division…and I did want very much to have sex with you. I rather enjoyed our first time, and I was hoping that you would be amenable to another coupling."

Byakuya's face registered disgust and his anger deepened until his reiatsu raged around him.

"You!" he hissed again, his body shaking with rage.

"I didn't have sex with you," Aizen said again, his smile fading slightly, "although I would have very much enjoyed doing so. However, you seemed…unwell last night. So I undressed you. You look so lovely without your clothes…"

Byakuya tried to pull his weapon away so that he could slash at Aizen again, but found that their swords were locked too tightly together.

"I put you in your bed, and I did watch you sleep for a while. I may have touched you a bit. How could I resist, ne? But I did not have sex with you. I realized that marrying me had to have been a shock for you, and that you leaned a bit on the champagne, probably because of the tension. I didn't think that you would appreciate me being there when you woke up, so I left you there and came back here…and spent the rest of the night dreaming about being with you. I didn't take advantage of you, Byakuya. We may be married, but I wouldn't resort to rape just to be with you sexually."

"As if I would be able to tell if you did," Byakuya said, the anger fading somewhat, and being replaced by something closer to unhappiness, "How is one to know what you would or wouldn't do? You have a zanpakutou that you can use to twist my mind however you want to. But…I know the truth about you. Maybe everyone else has forgotten, but I still remember!"

Aizen gave him an odd, troubled look, then sighed briefly and nodded.

"I see that there will be no convincing you, so I won't try anymore. I told you the truth. I came to the sixth division and was trying to convince you to go to bed with me. You became ill and I undressed you and put you in bed. I did use Kyouka Suigetsu, but only to help you sleep. I didn't…and I won't take advantage of you."

Byakuya glared into his eyes for several long moments, then slowly relaxed his arms and lowered his weapon. Aizen smiled at him and sheathed Kyouka Suigetsu, then wrapped his arms around Byakuya and kissed him before he could react. He released the stunned noble again and looked back at the shattered remains of the gazebo.

"I suppose we should ask for something more to eat…but it looks like we'll be eating inside," he commented, as Byakuya sheathed his sword.

He watched in silence for a moment as Byakuya flash stepped back to their bedroom.

_I am sorry to keep you in the dark, Byakuya, but for now, I must._

_But soon…_

He waited a moment longer, then flash stepped in the direction that his noble mate had gone.

**(AN**If you are a little confused about what is happening, don't worry. It will all make sense as the story rolls out. Trust Spunky, she has a really lovely, wicked plan! It will just take a bit to get the ball rolling! Thanks so much for reading. Believe me, when you see where this is going, you will really enjoy it! Cheers! Love, Spunky)**


	3. Connecting

**Chapter 3: Connecting**

Byakuya knelt quietly beneath the spread branches of a slender sakura tree, his hair and clothes dotted with fallen petals, and his distant eyes looking out over the cliff in front of him, past the roaring waterfall, where it fell into the large, rippling lake below him, to the bright field of stars that stretched out over the open meadow beyond the lake. He let his overtaxed mind slip back into the past, to one of many evenings spent as a young boy, kneeling beside his father and looking into the same patch of nighttime sky.

"_Please let me see it again, father."_

_Soujun smiled down at him, and one hand strayed to the sheathed blade that rested on his other side. He drew the weapon and extended his sword arm, pointing the tip in the direction of the North Star._

"_Blazing Starscape, Hoshibotsuraku!"_

_The stars above the two seemed to flare as one. Byakuya was on his feet in a moment and flash stepping over the edge of the cliff, sailing over the lake and landing lightly in the open meadow. The stars above him blazed brightly and went into a lovely spin, then one by one they began to fall towards him. Byakuya gave a sweet gasp of delight as a thousand stars fell from the sky, raining down harmlessly, splashing into the lake and lighting it, making the long grasses flutter and leaving the noble boy's body tingling wherever they touched him. Byakuya fell to his knees. He reached out a small hand and captured a tiny piece of one fallen star, watching as it sparkled brightly then slowly faded. A hand touched his shoulder and he smiled up at Soujun._

"_You enjoyed that, ne? But Segare, it is time for bed. Come."_

_He launched himself into his father's arms and rested his head on Soujun's warm shoulder, his eyes still on the stars as his father carried him back to the manor._

"Your eyes look lovely, Byakuya," said Aizen's smooth voice, "What are you thinking about?"

The noble's eyes narrowed and the warmth that had been flooding his body disappeared suddenly. He pulled his cloak closer around his body as Aizen stood beside him, looking out over the moonlit lake.

"No answer? That is typical, I suppose. And why are you up here so late? Do you enjoy the stars that much? Or is it that you are desperate to avoid me?"

The noble's icy silence sent a shiver through the brown-eyed taichou. He sighed softly and sat down next to his spouse. Byakuya held himself perfectly still, loathe to give his husband the satisfaction of making him react.

"Is this how it is going to be, then?" Aizen asked, looking at him out of the corner of an eye, "I must admit, I was hoping that when you agreed to this, you might actually act the part of a spouse."

Byakuya let out a disgusted breath.

"This marriage is a lie…just something you concocted to…"

"To what?" Aizen asked, "Have you given this much thought? Has it occurred to you to ask why I did this? Why I requested you? Of course you have. You even asked me. But you still don't know. Are you very curious? Would you like me to tell you?"

"You told me. You said that that you were tired of being alone…that you wanted someone attractive, strong enough to be challenging and complex enough to be interesting."

"I also said that I have always been intrigued by you."

"That I am quiet and solitary," Byakuya finished, "You see, I was listening."

"Yes, but you missed the point. I was actually trying to evoke a question. I thought you might ask, but you did not. Did it ever occur to you to ask why I would take your hand, knowing that you would still have an awareness of the truth and likely reject me? If I was tired of being alone, doesn't it make more sense to choose someone whose prior association with me was more pleasant?"

"Actually," Byakuya said, turning one gray eye to look at him, "It would be just like you to torment me this way."

"To…?"

"Think about it. I was already an isolated person, and you had your fun exploiting my weakness, hurting Rukia, and through her, hurting me. But you didn't count on your machinations working to bring me closer to my sister…to the ones who I let in, and they became my nakama. I was made less isolated. But by forcing me into this farce of a marriage, you caused all of that to change. Now, you are not the one we all strived against. And by marrying me, you have positioned yourself to torment me even more, as I watch my nakama accept you back with open arms, all the time knowing that I alone know the truth."

He caught his breath in surprise as Aizen captured his cheek under a soft palm and kissed him lightly on the lips. Confusion passed through him as his mind warred with a deeper impulse to not only accept the kiss, but to return it.

"You are farther from the truth than you think, watashi no koi."

"Stop calling me that! I am not your lover!" Byakuya snapped, pulling away.

"Is that so?" Aizen asked, his eyes locking on Byakuya's and holding them captive, "Then, if you are not my lover, why do you have to fight yourself to resist returning my affections?"

Byakuya turned his head away and let out a harsh breath.

"It's because of the remade truth placed in my mind. Those impulses are not real! They are just my body's response to what it mistakes as truth."

Aizen moved closer and captured his chin, turning Byakuya's widened eyes back to his.

"Is that what you think? That the false images placed there are fooling your senses? And if that is true, then how can you also fight this so capably? Byakuya, isn't it possible that it is not your senses or your mind that is fighting…that perhaps it is your heart?"

He drew Kyouka Suigetsu and held it tip down in front of the noble. Byakuya gasped and tried to flash step away, but was held in place by a firm hand that took hold of his and held it tightly.

"Shatter, Kyouka Suigetsu."

Instantly, Byakuya found himself looking at Zaraki Kenpachi. Everything about the man…his body, his scent, his voice and smile…everything read as though it was the eleventh division taichou. He looked down at where Zaraki's hand held his wrist, then stiffened as the other man brought him in for a deep, penetrating kiss. Oddly, as Zaraki's lips made contact, Byakuya felt a sharp, erotic twinge inside, an impulse to deepen the kiss and to touch the other man.

He tore away and flash stepped to the edge of the cliff, glaring as the man in front of him shimmered and became Abarai Renji. And again, everything about him was sensually perfect.

"Stop this! What…? Why are you _doing_ this to me?"

"Easy Taichou," said the illusory Renji, grinning, "You'll see where this is going in a sec."

Byakuya shivered as Renji wrapped his arms around him and fed him a perfect, Renji flavored kiss. And while it made sense to him that he enjoyed the fact of it being Renji, he was shocked at feeling the same heavy twinge of lust inside that he had had when the Zaraki illusion kissed him.

He stepped back and realized belatedly that he was stepping off the cliff. The image in front of him returned to being Aizen as the brown-eyed taichou reached out and stopped him from falling, then gathered him in for another passionate kiss. His knees weakened as another lusty twinge passed through him.

"Let _go_ of me!" Byakuya hissed furiously, "What in kami's name are you trying to do?"

He was surprised to find that his body was shaking softly and he was more than a little aroused. Aizen stepped back and studied him quietly for a moment.

"Kyouka Suigetsu, controls the target's senses. It can cause you to perceive whatever I want it to. It is a frightening ability, very dangerous, but…there are weaknesses. Because, although I can fool your senses quite effectively, your mind and your heart still know it is me. Your mind hates me because of the past that has been remade in everyone's minds except ours. That is why, even when I employed my zanpakutou, because your mind knew what I was doing, it resisted. But Byakuya, what did your heart tell you?"

Byakuya's eyes became tormented and he placed a hand on his breast, shivering in confusion. His lips moved, but he remained speechless.

"Your senses were fooled into perceiving first Zaraki, whom I know you despise, then Abarai Renji, whom I am aware that you had thought to court. Then, I kissed you as myself. Your mind fought all three, but what was your deeper, heartfelt reaction?"

He stared deeply into Byakuya's stunned eyes.

"It was the same all three times, ne? And that confuses you, because you hate me, right? Or do you really?"

"I couldn't help my reaction," Byakuya argued, "My senses were fooled and my body responded!"

"Byakuya, the last time, when I appeared as myself, your senses were not being fooled, and neither was your mind. So…how is it that your heart responded the same way to me _all three times_?"

"I don't know!" Byakuya said shakily, backing away from Aizen, "Who knows what special abilities or other games…"

"Byakuya," Aizen said, flash stepping to him and taking hold of him again, "Just let yourself react. Let your heart reveal the truth."

"No!" Byakuya cried, breaking free.

He flash stepped as fast as he could, his heart pounding and his lips still burning from Aizen's kisses. He pelted down the forest trail, passed through the back gates and into the gardens, turning towards the one place he knew Aizen would not be able to follow. He burst through the hidden door into the Kuchiki family archive and slammed it shut behind him. He stood inside, shivering uncontrollably and trying to catch his breath.

"Are you all right?"

Byakuya looked up in surprise and found himself looking at King Yoshiaki.

"You look startled," said Yoshiaki, smiling kindly at him, "I'm sure you haven't forgotten that the king can always enter this archive."

"Y-yes, I know that," Byakuya said softly, "But…my lord…why have you come?"

"I sensed your distress and I felt badly because you are only with that man because of me. I allowed our worlds to fall out of balance and the result was that I had to make concessions to him so that he would act on our behalf. That is why I had to agree to allow him to marry you. The truth is…you were about to be called to the spirit dimension. Kuchiki Byakuya, you were about to be called to take your place in the Royal Guard…and…you were about to become my consort."

"Your…_consort_?" Byakuya repeated questioningly.

The king moved closer and touched his face lightly, his golden eyes transfixing the noble.

"Yes, you were made to be my consort. _Look_ at you…you possess transcendent beauty, exceptional powers, and you are the strongest in the history of a family that has long served the spirit king. Your place at my side was a matter of fate. But…in the face of watching everything fall apart, I had to give up something that I had long awaited. As much as it grieved me, I had to allow him to claim you instead."

Byakuya frowned in confusion.

"But…my lord, if indeed, I was fated to be your consort, our laws and customs would have allowed you to claim me upon my fifteenth birthday. I would not have been named heir at all."

"Exactly," said the king, his eyes affectionate, "Had I claimed you at fifteen, you would have been still a boy. You would have come to the spirit dimension, abandoning everything, devoting yourself from that time to my service. You would not have been challenged the way you have been. You would not have been free to make your own decisions…"

"But I was allowed to marry…"

"A woman you never gave yourself to," said the king, "Everything that happened in your life in those years helped you grow into the lovely, proud and powerful man you are. Given the choice between the young, naïve boy and you, I found the reality of you more attractive."

The king took his hands.

"It is a crime that a man of such quality should become the plaything of a traitor like Aizen Sousuke. But…since there is no undoing this, I think that you will serve me in another way."

"And what way is that?" Byakuya asked.

The king's eyes narrowed.

"Well, despite the fact that he only claimed you to hurt me, Aizen is very attracted to you. His attempts to confuse you are meant to draw you closer, to help him seduce you. You see, although he has the right as your husband to partake of you sexually, he relishes the idea of your full surrender to him. And I admit, the idea of you embracing his affections that way is painful to me. Remember that I had been looking forward to claiming you myself. I had dreamed of us walking in the royal gardens, sitting under the moon upon a blanket of sakura petals, making passionate love under the stars and making the royal heir together…a lovely future that has been lost now. In addition to this, the fact that no one remembers Aizen's transgressions gives him a whole new opportunity to oppose me, to try to overthrow me. But being that you are still, by virtue of your nobility, my sworn servant, as well as being his husband, it offers the opportunity for you to be useful to me in watching and reporting his movements…perhaps in thwarting his attempts to topple me."

Byakuya frowned.

"So…you wish me to finesse him by feigning interest, but then to draw him off guard and to betray his movements to you."

"Exactly," said the king, nodding.

Byakuya lowered his eyes.

"My lord, I…" he began, then he stopped and shook his head, "I am accustomed to taking my enemy down in respectable battle, not 'vamping' him to draw him off guard and then betraying him."

"Of course, of course," said Yoshiaki, slipping an arm around him and moving his face closer, "but you have certainly resorted to shadier tactics…as when you seemed to betray the Gotei 13 to lure Muramasa into helping position you to slay his master, Kouga."

"It is true that I did use Muramasa to find Kuchiki Kouga, but I never claimed to be his ally, and I certainly did not offer myself sexually to him. My lord, I have no qualms about honoring the delineations of my marriage. I did, in fact, agree to marry him. And if he makes any move to position himself for an attack on you, I will certainly honor my duty to stop him. But I cannot agree to lower myself to lies, prostitution and treachery to undo him when, as of yet, he has evinced no intention to do you harm."

"Ah…I see. Yes, well, your reticence to surrender your values makes sense, I suppose. It is, in fact, a rare quality, even among the noble families. Watch him carefully, then. And if you sense that he is up to something, you need only come here and invoke this charm."

Byakuya took the gold sakura blossom shaped charm from the king and studied it for a moment, before setting it on the reading desk in front of the clan leader diaries.

"Actually, I meant for you to wear it," the king said, picking it up and setting it back in his hand.

Byakuya undid the clasp and stood quietly as the king set the artifact in place.

"There now. It will only work while you are here, in the archive. Merely send your reiatsu into the charm, and I will come to you."

"Yes, my lord."

"Now, I have taken enough of your time. I am sure that you came into the archive with a purpose. I will take my leave of you so that you can complete your task."

Byakuya watched silently as the king left, then sat down in a chair in front of the desk that held the clan leader diaries. His mind tried to wrap itself around the actions of both Aizen and the king, but the effort only resulted in the deepening of his confusion. He shook his head and reached for his diary, intending to read back through the recent entries. He turned back the fine leather cover, opening to the page of his last entry. His eyes widened and his breath caught as he encountered only empty pages.

"What?" he whispered, paging through the book again with the same result, "What is this?"

He checked the other diaries and found that most seemed unaffected, but when he opened Kuchiki Ginrei's, it was empty as well.

"I don't understand…" he mused, "The book independently records everything as it happens, but…it has somehow been erased. I wonder if this is because of the reality shift when the king remade history on Aizen's behalf…"

He continued to mull over the mystery as he returned the volumes to the set of diaries, and walked back to the archive entrance. He stepped out into the darkness, looking around and sensing that Aizen had retired to their bedroom. He looked briefly in the direction of the sixth division, thinking to return there to avoid sleeping next to his husband. But the king's words came back to him, giving him pause.

_"Watch him carefully, then. And if you sense that he is up to something, you need only come here and invoke this charm."_

He forced his feet to move and made his way down the walkway, to the bedroom. He walked into the dressing area and slipped out of his clothes, donning a warm sleeping yukata. Then he walked out to the bed, pausing for a moment as Aizen's eyes opened and the brown-eyed shinigami looked up at him questioningly.

"Byakuya?" he said, tilting his head slightly.

The noble remained standing beside the bed, at war with himself about what he was doing. Aizen read the look on his face, then closed his eyes again, dismissing him. Byakuya bit his lip and stepped forward, sliding in under the covers and saying nothing. He turned onto his side, facing away from Aizen and looking out the garden doors.

"I am glad you came back," Aizen said quietly.

"Do not touch me," Byakuya said stiffly.

Aizen let out an amused breath.

"Charming," he said, shaking his head briefly, "Well, it falls short of being romantic, but I imagine it's a beginning…"


	4. Whispers

**Chapter 4: Whispers**

**(Thanks so much to XDarkerXDesireX, Geecee, Digzzz, Kakashii'sWifey, Miyuko-Matsuda, Sariniste, ThisLittlePiggyStayedHome, Crystal Amethyst, Kyricx, Cptn. Suz, Anelir-Sensei, Lilbit1016 and SlytherinQueen020 for sending along such nice reviews! You guys are awesome! Things are about to take a turn for the interesting, before falling into the realm of downright dangerous as the story progresses. Italics in this chapter are either internal thoughts or Byakuya's visions. Sorry if it is a little confusing, but things will be cleared up soon! Take care and happy reading! Love, Spunky)**

Byakuya shivered softly in his sleep, then suddenly turned into the arms of a pleasantly surprised Aizen Sousuke. He was less than surprised that the noble was still asleep…that otherwise he would not seek, let alone sink deeply into the embrace of a man he knew to be his enemy…even though that same man was his husband. But not one to pass up such an enjoyable opportunity, he smiled and closed his arms around the noble, bringing his head lightly to rest on a warm shoulder and burying his face in silken, sakura scented hair. He held Byakuya against him and gazed out the garden doors, loathe to sleep, himself, while the noble was relaxed and not glaring at him, threatening him or destroying something near him.

_We seem to thrive on complexity, ne Byakuya?_

Byakuya's lips moved and he shivered again, and when his voice sounded, it had a lighter, more boyish feel to it.

"Oh!" he gasped, "Aizen taichou…it is you! I was…I thought that…"

Aizen's eyes softened and he kissed the sleeping noble very tenderly on his still moving lips.

"Very well," he whispered, "But slowly, this time. Not too much at once…"

Byakuya shuddered and panted softly in his sleep as Aizen watched him closely and waited.

_Byakuya slipped out of the gardens and into the forest, then broke into a run, carefully concealing his reiatsu and not daring to use his flash step. Wide, frightened gray eyes watched the trees all around him as he fled, wearing a dark yukata and hooded cloak and carrying a small pack over one shoulder. He heard a sound behind him and ducked into the trees, where he stood, trying to make his breathing silent, and carefully watching the trail. All seemed quiet, except for the soft breeze through the trees and the occasional sound of night birds. He waited and caught his breath, his sharp eyes scanning the area around him, and when he was sure he was alone, he moved out onto the trail again and began to run._

_He had only been to the cabin once…to meet Aizen taichou for one of his calligraphy lessons while the fifth division taichou was on leave. He still remembered the way, and with any luck, the cabin would still be empty and no one would think to look for him there._

_He paused again and heard the very faint sound of someone calling his name._

"_N-no!" he gasped, "So soon?"_

_He ran as fast as he could without flash stepping, forcing his reiatsu down and holding the pack against his chest so that it wouldn't make any sound. He gave a soft cry of relief as he reached the lake and turned towards the place where Aizen's cabin lay hidden amongst the trees._

_He reached the cabin in moments, and found it to be dark and quiet. He wanted to reach out with his senses to make sure it was empty, but dared not use his powers when the search for him was already underway. Instead, he looked in the windows and then slipped around to the back. He breathed a sigh of relief that Shihoin Yoruichi had, while tormenting him, also managed to teach him a little more than the lessons that Ginrei had requested. His slender fingers searched his pack and found a small lockpick, which he used to loose the lock on the cabin door. There was a soft click as the lock released, and a moment later, he was through the door and closing it behind him. He put his back against it and slid down, dropping to his knees and letting the pack down gently beside him._

_He didn't want to think about why he had run, but now that he was where he had planned to hide, there was little else to do. He didn't dare turn on a light or make any kind of noise. He waited until he had completely caught his breath, then stood and left the small back entry room. He remembered that the room led into a hallway, and that the kitchen was to the right. He started out into the hallway, then turned in surprise as a hand came down on his shoulder. _

"_Oh!" he gasped, "Aizen taichou, it is you. I was…I thought that…"_

"_Byakuya-kun?" the man said, blinking sleepily, "What are you doing here?"_

"_I…" Byakuya stammered, swallowing hard, "I…Aizen taichou, please forgive me for trespassing! I had to leave home and I didn't know where else to go!"_

_The fifth division taichou's eyes narrowed._

"_You…had to leave?" he asked softly, "I don't understand. I had heard that there were all kinds of plans for your fifteenth birthday. What happened?"_

_Byakuya let out a distressed breath and Aizen studied him quietly for a moment as he sought to gather himself._

"_Why don't you let me make us some tea," suggested Aizen, smiling at the youth, "We can sit down and talk for a while."_

"_I…" said Byakuya, looking around, "You cannot let anyone know I am here."_

_Aizen nodded._

"_No one will know. Come…"_

_He followed the fifth division taichou into the kitchen and sat down at the table, setting his pack down by his feet. He watched quietly as Aizen prepared the tea, then walked to the table and took the seat next to him._

"_Now then," said Aizen kindly, "Why don't you tell me what has you so upset…"_

_Byakuya bit his lips and looked down into his teacup, then back up at Aizen._

"_I am almost afraid to say it, because…because I know it will sound unbelievable," Byakuya explained, "but…Aizen taichou, this concerns the spirit king…something that I saw!"_

_Aizen nodded._

"_All of the taichous were briefed on the king's arrival, and his visit to Kuchiki Manor. So you are saying that something happened?"_

"_Yes," said Byakuya, his face paling, "His majesty actually came to…to claim me as his consort."_

"_What?" queried Aizen, his eyes widening._

"_It…is a practice of the clans and I was aware it could happen. I must admit that I was taken by surprise, but I was in no position to refuse, as it is considered a great honor. His petition for my hand in marriage was given to my grandfather yesterday. Grandfather was surprised as well, but he accepted the petition on my behalf, as was expected."_

"_So…you are here because you do not wish to go through with the marriage?" asked Aizen._

"_No…it is not that…exactly. I was accepting of the king's proposal, despite my fears about it…but…but earlier tonight, I was walking in the forest…and…I didn't realize it, but King Yoshiaki was there too. I came to clearing…and I…I saw…"_

Byakuya sat up suddenly, grabbing his head and gasping in pain. It registered that Aizen was holding him tightly and saying something, but he tore away and staggered to his feet, gasping as another shock of pain passed through his head.

"You!" he screamed, backing away, "What were you _doing_ to me? You were doing something! What did you do?"

Aizen shook his head and let out a resigned sigh.

"I did nothing to you," he said quietly, "I saw that you were having a nightmare and I was trying to help you."

Byakuya's eyes flared indignantly.

"Do I look _stupid_ to you?" he hissed, backing up to the garden doors as Aizen came to his feet, "You think I don't know what you're doing? You're trying to affect my mind. I can _feel _it!"

"I don't even have Kyouka Suigetsu with me. I don't bring it in here, because, believe it or not, I actually want you to feel more comfortable with me. I know that are expecting that I will try something, but…"

He trailed off for a moment as his eye came to rest on the pendant Byakuya was wearing. He frowned and slowly moved closer.

"But I hope that you will come to the realization that I do want this marriage to work. I am willing to give you space, and I will not try to tinker with your mind."

"Lies!" said the noble, his eyes blazing, "Why do you even bother? I am _not_ going to believe you."

He turned to face the gardens.

"I am going to my division…and I do not want you to follow me!"

"Wait," Aizen said quietly.

Byakuya surprised himself by holding perfectly still and looking into the other man's eyes, waiting.

"Byakuya, we need to get past the point of you suspecting me of something at every turn. I am not saying that you have to trust me, but you must stop assuming that I am constantly plotting."

"Aren't you?" the noble asked softly, "Aizen taichou, no matter what anyone else believes, I know the truth. You still want what you have always wanted. You still want to overthrow the king! Go ahead…deny it, if it's not true!"

Aizen lowered his eyes.

"I will not lie to you," he went on calmly, "If I could overthrow Yoshiaki, then I would do it. But I do not have the means. I lost it when I lost the hougyoku…and he made it impossible for me to recreate it. I have been thwarted, and now…all I really want is some amount of comfort and peace. Come…let's have some tea and calm a bit so that we can sleep."

Byakuya's eyes were guarded, but he summoned his attendant and sent him for the tea, then followed his husband out to the newly replaced patio table. They sat down next to each other and waited quietly as Torio served their tea. Aizen took a sip of his tea and leaned forward slightly to examine the pendant on the gold chain around Byakuya's slender, white throat.

"That is lovely," he commented, "I haven't seen you wear it before. Was it a gift?"

"It is a family heirloom," Byakuya lied, glancing down at the pendant, "I found it in the archive earlier."

"I see," said Aizen, taking a closer look.

Byakuya frowned as a look of sudden comprehension appeared on the other man's face, then disappeared just as quickly.

"What is it?" he asked, glancing down at the pendant, "Is something wrong?"

"No," said Aizen, giving him an odd look, "Nothing is wrong."

He stood and started back towards the bedroom.

"I thought that you wanted to have tea and talk for a while," Byakuya said, stopping him.

Aizen shook his head briefly.

"I am tired…and we both have to work in the morning. You can go to your division if you wish. I won't trouble you anymore."

He disappeared into the bedroom, leaving the noble staring after him. Byakuya sat at the table, taking sips of his tea and thinking carefully.

_Something is not right. He seemed to come to some realization about the pendant King Yoshiaki gave me. I wonder if he might have recognized it from somewhere. His guard is up. But…I was asked to watch him, and if I go to my division, I cannot do that._

He studied the night sky for a time and finished the tea, then stood in the gardens, torn between the peace of escaping Aizen's company, and the mission he had been given by the king. In the end, he took neither road, but slipped out the back gate and walked into the forest. He walked the dark trail, listening to the wind rustling the tree branches. He spotted a small clearing off to the left of the trail and stopped for a moment, blinking and remembering.

_He slipped out of the gardens and walked into the forest, his heart heavy, but resigned to do as duty demanded. Yoshiaki had the right to claim any virginal mate from the noble clans, and only had to wait one more day until Byakuya was fifteen to make the binding legal._

_"There is no escaping this," he whispered, moving his feet slowly and enjoying what might be the last time he would walk the grounds of his family's estate._

_The king wanted an immediate wedding, and then the two would return to the spirit dimension for the consummation and seeding of the royal heir._

_"I cannot even think about that…"_

_His stomach heaved softly at the thought of being touched sexually by Yoshiaki. Not that he worried that the king would be forceful or cruel, but just the cold truth of what would happen when they were left alone…_

_"You found one?" said the king's voice from nearby._

_Byakuya froze and ducked behind a tree._

_"It was difficult to find one of sufficient power, but yes," a voice said in answer._

_"Bring him to me."_

_"What are you doing?" asked a soft, frightened youthful voice, "Where are you taking me?"_

_Byakuya peeked out from behind the tree as the dark form in front of the king removed the captive's blindfold and forced him to his knees. The youth stared up at Yoshiaki wide-eyed as the king's reiatsu fixed him in place._

_"K-king…Yoshiaki?" the youth said in a quivering voice._

_"Yes," said the king, "You are…Hiro, of the Rukongai, ne?"_

_"You…know my name?"_

_"I know all beings. Now…relax and close your eyes, Hiro. I have summoned you here to serve your king."_

_"Y-yes, my lord," the youth said, his voice still shaking._

The vision left him suddenly, and Byakuya dropped to his knees, reeling as he heard the sound of the youth's scream in his mind.

"What is this?" he whispered, "Is this something that he planted in my mind while I slept? Or…?"

He turned away from the clearing and moved into flash steps, following the trail up the waterfall and lake, passing through the meadow and moving into another stretch of forest that bordered the Kuchiki estate. He vaulted a low fence and found another trail, this one leading into a darker section of forest that meandered seemingly aimlessly before opening into a clearing, where there was a larger lake that was bordered by a number of cabins. He walked partway around the lake and came to one of the cabins, stopping as he noticed that all of them looked dilapidated and abandoned now. He moved forward and walked around to the back of the one he had found himself moving towards, then stepped inside, walking gingerly on the old wooden flooring. A vision flashed in his mind, freezing him again.

_He started out into the hallway, then turned in surprise as a hand came down on his shoulder. _

"_Oh!" he gasped, "Aizen taichou, "it is you. I was…I thought that…"_

"_Byakuya-kun?" the man said, blinking sleepily, "What are you doing here?"_

Byakuya's heart began to pound as he walked down the hallway to the kitchen and another vision rose up inside him.

"_Now then," said Aizen kindly, "Why don't you tell me what has you so upset…"_

Byakuya turned and walked back down the hallway, all the way to the end, and stepped into the largest of what had been the bedrooms. His eyes closed and he remembered.

_"I will be gentle. Don't worry."_

_He shivered as the yukata slid down off of his shoulders._

_"Aizen taichou, I don't know if I…"_

_"It is the only way…"_

Byakuya backed up a step, staring into the room and trying to remember more, but found himself unable. He felt an odd presence, then inhaled sharply as Aizen appeared suddenly in front of him and Byakuya surmised that he must have used his zanpakutou to hide his approach. He started to speak, but was stopped as a binding kido froze his body in place. Aizen's hand curled around the pendant at the noble's throat and he tore it free, then he walked out onto the old deck and threw the pendant and chain into the lake. He walked back to the stunned noble and released him from the kido bind. Byakuya stared at him in silence.

"He gave you that pendant, didn't he?" asked Aizen, gazing into the noble's widened gray eyes, "He probably told you to watch me."

"It was only a summoning charm," Byakuya said, touching his throat where the pendant had been, "I was to use it to let him know when to meet me in the family archive."

"I'm sure that's what he told you. But I think you know now that it was more than that. He wanted to know what you remember."

"What I remember?" Byakuya repeated, his voice shaking softly, "I am caught between a man who uses illusion as a weapon, and a transcendent who can alter reality around me. I don't know _what_ is real…and what is a lie."

He remained still, gazing at the place where the bed in the room had been, not even reacting when the other man's arms wrapped around him and Aizen brought his face close to the noble's.

"You are wrong," he said softly, "You know the truth."

He placed a warm hand over Byakuya's fast beating heart.

"Your answers are here. Remember what you learned earlier, Byakuya. Your mind and your senses can be fooled, but your heart remembers. I think you are intelligent enough that you have figured out that neither the 'truth' everyone knew before, nor the one Yoshiaki replaced it with are real. They are both lies. The truth you are seeking was covered up long ago…the night that we were together here…"


	5. Two Paths

**Chapter 5: Two Paths**

_"You know the truth."_

_He placed a warm hand over Byakuya's fast beating heart._

_"Your answers are here. Remember what you learned earlier, Byakuya. Your mind and your senses can be fooled, but your heart remembers. I think you are intelligent enough that you have figured out that neither the 'truth' everyone knew before, nor the one Yoshiaki replaced it with are real. They are both lies. The truth you are seeking was covered up long ago…the night that we were together here…"_

"You bastard!" Byakuya hissed, flash stepping away and reappearing outside on the dilapidated wooden deck, "You admit it! You…you _knew_ that I was going to be made consort! You knew and you took advantage of my pre-wedding jitters to steal what was _his_!"

"What was _HIS_?" Aizen repeated furiously, his reiatsu moving in a dangerous red swirl around him.

The wooden deck beneath Byakuya's feet rumbled and shook, then the noble was forced to flash step away as Aizen's anger made it explode into splinters. He reappeared on the bank of the lake and backed away as Aizen followed, his reiatsu swelling around him again.

"Now, that is _funny_!" he snarled sarcastically, walking towards the stunned noble, "It is also sad and demented, and Byakuya…I think you also know that it is a lie!"

He raised his hands, gathering his power, then glared at Byakuya as the noble's blade appeared in his hand.

"Yes," said Aizen, "I think that we cannot move forward until we have this out. I have tried to be understanding while you came to terms with your returning memory. I tried to be gentle with you, and sensitive to the fact that you really are caught between two formidable forces. But I am _sick to death_ of the lies that people have been made to believe about me…especially you. So…if you refuse to see the truth any other way, I will show you in a way you will not be able to dismiss."

Black clouds swirled in the skies around them, lightning flashed across the sky, and thunder shook the ground under Byakuya's feet and riled the lake's waters.

"What are you _doing_?" Byakuya cried, flash stepping away and breaking into a run.

Aizen appeared in front of him, raising his hands and gathering his power as the thunder sounded again and the ground shook harder.

"STOP!" cried Byakuya, "Why are you doing this? I don't believe anything you say!"

Aizen appeared in front of him again as he tried to flash step clear, then made a circle of images of himself that surrounded the noble.

"Raise your senkei," Aizen ordered coldly.

"Wh-what?" Byakuya asked breathlessly.

"You heard me," Aizen repeated sarcastically, "Raise your senkei. And I suggest that you do it quickly or you will be blown all of the way back to Kuchiki Manor."

Byakuya stared as Aizen's power swelled around him again and the lake and forest around them glowed an ominous red.

"Don't worry," said Aizen, smirking, "I will not kill you. But I want you to be able to trust what I tell you…and if you refuse to believe me, then we will never get anywhere. Now, for the last time, I suggest that you raise your senkei, or you might just die, Byakuya."

Byakuya's widened eyes looked into his and read the seriousness, and he raised Senbonakura, tip down, and released the blade's power.

"Ban kai," he said quietly, "Senkei, Senbonzakura Kageyoshi."

He stood more calmly as the pink swords began to fall into place around him. Aizen waited until all had settled into place, then nodded in approval.

"Now, your zanpakutou has taken his true form…and I know that within this chamber, Kyouka Suigetsu cannot fool your senses. It is why if I had ever fought you, you among all of the captains had the means to counteract my blade's power on some level, making you a formidable enemy. But you will see the reason I need not have worried, in any case. Because even bare handed, I can rip through your defenses as though they were made of butter and I can destroy you and your zanpakutou in a heartbeat. Do you want ro know why?"

"I am not interested in what lies your lips would tell me," Byakuya replied in a more settled voice, "Remember that, although Kyouka Suigetsu cannot make lies of my surroundings, you are, even in this place, able to speak whatever lies you like."

"Well then," said Aizen icily, "Since you are determined to refuse to believe me, no matter what I say, then you leave me no choice. You had best brace yourself, Byakuya, because the truth is going to hurt you!"

Byakuya sucked in a surprised breath as the pink swords around them flashed white, then exploded, sending a hard shockwave outward and flattening the forest in a wide swath around them. Blistering heat washed over the noble and, though it passed over him without destroying him, the sword in his hand evaporated and everything around them was instantly obliterated. Byakuya screamed in pain as Senbonzakura's death cry ripped across his mind and the zanpakutou's spirit disappeared from his inner world. He fell to his knees in the blackened ash at the edge of the darkened lake, hardly able to draw breath. Aizen approached him slowly, watching solemnly as the noble's hands clawed the ashen ground and he continued to draw and release heavy, shaking breaths. An unbidden sob escaped Byakuya before he regained control and sat quietly, staring at his burned sword hand.

"I think that we can agree that this is not an illusion," Aizen said calmly, "ne, Byakuya? You _felt_ his death inside you. It was not any of your senses that made you believe that fact. It was your heart."

"Shut up!" screamed the noble, regaining his feet and backing away, "Get away from me!"

He started to flash step, but was suddenly frozen in place as Aizen approached him again. He gazed quietly into the noble's terrified eyes.

"Do I have your attention now?" Aizen asked softly, "I will say it again. What happened is not an illusion. And you _know _it is not, because you had your senkei raised when I attacked. You felt the instant destruction of your zanpakutou and I know you _also felt_ that I protected you from that same destructive blast. Think, Byakuya. _No shinigami _possesses power on that level…none! And what does that tell you?"

He frowned as his senses registered a hissing flash step, but Byakuya remained in front of him. A moment later, the image of the noble disappeared, and Aizen caught sight of Byakuya disappearing into the forest at the edge of the circle of destruction he had created with his attack. Instantly, he moved in pursuit, sensing the noble's intent and realizing the implications.

"Well, this is not exactly what I envisioned…" he muttered.

He shook his head and flash stepped faster, trying to hone in on the fleeing shinigami. Byakuya reached the manor and ran for the archive, ignoring Aizen's insistent calls for him to stop. He burst through the door and slammed it behind him, then dropped onto his knees, wrapping his arms around his midsection and forcing himself not to make a sound as tears leaked onto his face. A hand touched his shoulder and he recoiled, staring in horror as he realized that Aizen had entered the archive. He scrambled to his feet and backed away, stopping as another presence appeared behind him and the spirit king's arm curled protectively around him.

"H-how…?" Byakuya stammered, "How did he enter the archive? Only the king can enter the archive!"

"That is not exactly true," Aizen said, gazing into Byakuya's widened eyes, "Any member of the house Kuchiki and the royal family can enter the archive."

"Byakuya," said the king, "Remember that when you married this man, he became a member of the Kuchiki household."

Aizen shook his head, his eyes flaring.

"So that is why you wanted to marry me? To gain entrance into the archive?" Byakuya asked, "Did you think that you could break into the spirit dimension that way, because if that was your plan, you should know that only the Kuchiki head of household can enter the spirit dimension that way!"

"You are _wrong again_, Byakuya," said Aizen.

"I think you should stop tormenting your poor spouse," Yoshiaki said quietly, "I think he might collapse. You've gone to quite some extreme, haven't you, Sousuke? Killing his zanpakutou like that? Terrifying the poor thing to within an inch of his life? Unforgivable. Byakuya, say the word and I shall undo this farce of a marriage. I will be happy to take you back to the spirit dimension with me and house you there, so he can no longer annoy you."

"I had no intention of leaving Byakuya without his zanpakutou, and you know it," said Aizen, glowering, "I was merely impressing upon him that I was not using an illusion to control him. I was trying to gain his trust."

"You did a lovely job of that. He looks very convinced. Come now, Byakuya. You needn't answer about having your marriage undone just yet. But come with me and I will restore your zanpakutou and see to the healing of your hand. You can spend the night with me…erm…in the palace, and decide under more peaceful conditions about whether or not to return."

Aizen's eyes darkened, but he let out a defeated breath and nodded.

"It is your choice, of course," he said, seeking Byakuya's eyes, "but realize what I was trying to tell you, using my powers as I did."

"Enough, Sousuke!" the king snapped, "You have hurt him enough, don't you think? Leave him be and let him gather himself. I am sure that Byakuya will give deep consideration to what happened and come to an intelligent decision, ne?"

Aizen gave the king a hateful glare, but said nothing more.

"Byakuya," said the king, his arm releasing the noble, "Why don't you wait for me in the palace? I want to speak to Sousuke for a moment."

"Alone?" asked Byakuya, looking alarmed, "But…"

"Do not worry," the king assured him, "This _shinigami_ cannot hurt me. Go."

Byakuya hesitated for a moment longer, his eyes meeting Aizen's for a moment.

"My apologies, if you misunderstood my intentions," Aizen said, nodding, "I will see you after you have had some time to think."

Byakuya returned his gaze for a moment, then gave a short nod and disappeared through the doorway into the spirit dimension.

"Good going," Yoshiaki said, smirking, "You did a fabulous job of pushing him in my direction. You _do_ realize that if he decides to leave you, then you have lost your last hope of ever defeating me. You might think on that while you wait to see how the dust settles."

"But remember," said Aizen, he must make his decision to leave me _after_ learning the full truth. You may have him for the night, but Byakuya will not be taken in by you for long. He will question what happened and he will return to me. So…enjoy it while it lasts."

Yoshiaki's eyes flickered menacingly.

"I _will_," he growled softly, "I intend to enjoy him thoroughly while he is with me!"

"Just remember that there are rules," Aizen reminded him, "Remember that the only reason I have a chance to overcome you right now is that you forgot the rules in a reckless moment and needed me to rescue you from your own stupid mistakes. I won't have any reason left to help you if you make a mistake and cause another imbalance in the spirit core of our worlds again. I only helped this time because it opened the doorway to regaining what you stole from me."

"You are a fine one to talk of stealing, Sousuke. You are the one trying to steal the throne. It belongs to me."

"Only because you murdered our father and stole it from me!" snapped Aizen.

"Did I?" Yoshiaki asked, smiling, "If that was true…don't you think someone besides just you and me would know about it? Face it, _Brother_, you will never wear the crown. No matter that I can't kill you right now, I can turn the three worlds against you."

"You can't turn _him_ against me," Aizen said calmly, "and as long as that is true, then there is someone in the three worlds who still knows the truth, even if he is not aware he knows, yet!"

"I don't _have _to turn Byakuya against you, Sousuke. You are doing that all by yourself. Killing his zanpakutou like that? He was devastated. And I will love comforting him and returning Senbonzakura to him. It will only make him turn to me and not you. And once he abandons you and chooses me, no one will _ever _believe a word you say again! Face the facts. You have lost, Sousuke!"

"I wouldn't be so quick to decide that you have won," Aizen warned him, "Remember that there is still a way I can kill you."

"Ah…you mean, by finding the hollow royals and convincing them to join you against me?" sneered Yoshiaki, "First of all, you do not know where they are, and secondly, they have as much reason to want you dead as I do. And I will only turn that power back on you anyway. You should give up. Your persistence in this is just _pathetic_!"

XXXXXXXXXX

"There now," said the healer, touching Byakuya's restored hand lightly, "That looks much better. But use it lightly for a few days, and let me know if it troubles you."

Byakuya nodded briefly and slid off of the examination table. The old shinigami in front of him smiled kindly.

"Go to the King's Garden now. His majesty will be there shortly to meet with you."

"Arigato," Byakuya said, quietly.

He retied the belt at the waist of the white yukata he had been given and left the infirmary, noticing almost immediately the odd looks he received from the guards and other people he passed. He wondered briefly what was behind those looks, but was distracted away from it as he passed through the throne room and walked through the open doors, into the King's Garden. He paused, taking in the sheer expanse, the intense beauty, green, fragrant grass, blue skies, colorful flowers, and more varied creatures wandering about than he had ever seen. He stepped forward slowly, his mind settling as the loveliness and peace of his environs flowed in. He walked to the edge of a large blue pool and sat down on the grassy bank, watching the waterfall on the far side as it made the water ripple, distorting his reflection where it appeared on the surface. He wasn't certain how much time passed before he felt a nervous twinge inside and sensed the king's approach.

Yoshiaki joined him at the water's edge and knelt beside him. Byakuya looked up at the king respectfully and waited. Yoshiaki smiled.

"You see," he said softly, "Even though I know your heart is troubled and your mind is full of questions, you have not forgotten the proper ways. I am honored."

"You are my king," Byakuya replied, "As head of the Kuchiki household, I am sworn to serve you."

Yoshiaki smiled and nodded.

"And you have never failed to do that," he said, slipping an arm around Byakuya, "Now, let me show you just the beginnings of my gratitude…"

Byakuya shivered and made an exclamation of surprise as his zanpakutou slowly re-formed in his hand and Senbonzakura's presence suddenly returned to his inner world.

"It was wrong of him to do as he did. The man is desperate to mislead you. And this would not be the first time he has done so."

"Your highness?" Byakuya said questioningly.

"I know you have begun to remember," the king acknowledged, "I have been watching you."

"Through the pendant?" Byakuya asked, "And if so, then why did you also ask me to watch Sousuke? And why deceive me as to the use of the pendant?"

"You see?" said the king, affectionately, "…full of questions. But we will get to all of that. What you need to know is how he has deceived you…and how he is trying to do so again. Why don't you tell me what you remember?"

Byakuya looked into the king's golden eyes for a moment, then nodded.

"I remembered that I was chosen to be your consort…just before my fifteenth birthday. I was accepting of the union, but I was…uncertain…"

"Of course," said the king, "You must have wondered at me for taking you as a mate at such a young age…but realize that I had to, Byakuya. I was concerned that he would realize who you were and that you were mine, and he would steal you away from me. I had no idea, he would actually be successful in seducing you first."

Byakuya's face paled, but he swallowed hard and continued.

"But…I…asked him to. I knew that if he did, that you would not marry me. And after what I saw you do to that peasant boy, Hiro…"

"That was an illusion," the king said calmly, "Sousuke used it to lure you away. He knew it would make you desperate and imagined that you would seek the only place where you thought no one would look for you. Didn't it strike you as odd that he was there? Convenient, ne? And he let you talk yourself into going to bed with him. It was quite easy. I was surprised at how easily you fell."

"There was another memory…of…after," Byakuya went on.

"Yes…an alarm sounded and Sousuke left you, and told you to wait for him in the bed where he had just taken you."

"How do you know this?" Byakuya asked.

"As soon as he took you, I knew," the king replied, his voice low and controlled, "I went to the cabin…and I convinced you to leave the bed. Once you did, I made everything over…made all of it disappear. I couldn't bear what he had done. I hated him for taking you away from me, for soiling what was meant for me."

"But…I thought that you wanted me virginal, not because of the rules, but because being virginal and of sufficient power, you could drain me of my life force repeatedly and not kill me. I thought that something had happened to you that made you need to consume pure life force to survive. You could consume others, but not being pure sources, or of sufficient power, they would fade as Hiro did that night.

"I told you," said the king, more sternly, "That was a lie, an illusion. Put it out of your mind, Byakuya."

The king smiled at him, but Byakuya sensed an odd coldness behind it.

"You know," the king went on, "I could still have claimed you after that…but…I let my pride get in the way. I just couldn't bear looking at your beautiful face, making love with that sensuous body, all the while knowing how he had defiled it first. Still, over the years, I have grown wiser…and I have come to see that I made a mistake."

The king's fingertips touched Byakuya's cheek and he leaned forward slowly, bringing their lips together. Byakuya froze as the king's lips touched his, and the monarch's arms wrapped around him. Yoshiaki kissed him harder and Byakuya stiffened and tried to pull free.

"Your majesty," he gasped, flinching as the king's tongue slipped into his mouth and began exploring it relentlessly.

His arms tightened around the noble and eased him down onto his back on the grass beside the water.

"Your majesty…I…I can't. I am…married to…someone else!" he managed.

The king's hand took hold of the front of Byakuya's yukata and the golden eyes burned fiercely, glaring down into his.

"You do not have to remain married to him," the king said in an amorous tone, "Say the word, and I will make your marriage disappear. I will make _him_ disappear from your mind and he will never trouble you again, Byakuya. Just tell me that is your choice!"

Byakuya stared into the king's eyes, feeling a deep, strong urge to agree, but nagged by something even deeper that pleaded with him to be cautious.

_"You are wrong," Aizen said softly, "You know the truth."_

_He placed a warm hand over Byakuya's fast beating heart._

_"Your answers are here. Remember what you learned earlier, Byakuya. Your mind and your senses can be fooled, but your heart remembers. I think you are intelligent enough that you have figured out that neither the 'truth' everyone knew before, nor the one Yoshiaki replaced it with are real. They are both lies. The truth you are seeking was covered up long ago…the night that we were together here…"_

"I…I can't…not yet," he whispered as the king's mouth attacked his again, stopping him from saying more.

"Very well," said the king, between kisses, "but even though you are married, you are still noble and that means that I have the right to supercede your marriage vows and take you sexually. Aizen Sousuke took something of value from me all of those years ago, and now he is about to get a taste of his own betrayal!"

"Your majesty…?" Byakuya gasped.

The king smiled at him.

"Are you going to refuse me?"

"N-no," Byakuya said, flinching as the king's hands opened his yukata and began to caress him, "I don't have the right to refuse you…but…I would feel it a betrayal of my promises…to Sousuke."

The king's hand clenched the front of Byakuya's yukata, lifting his upper body as the monarch glared down into his eyes.

"You mean those _lies_ you exchanged in that ridiculous marriage ceremony? Byakuya, you know that you did not mean those words! You only said them because you were ordered to…by royal dictate."

"Yes…but," Byakuya panted, "I thought…I thought that…it was agreed that in exchange for…"

"You let me worry about that," the king said, narrowing his eyes, "Now…relax. Your king desires you. Forget everything else."

The king lifted him and carried him back into the palace, where he laid the noble down in his bed and slowly undressed before Byakuya's shocked eyes. He climbed onto the bed and lowered himself onto Byakuya's bared body. The king's hand touched his thighs and Byakuya hesitated for a moment, then with a soft inward quiver, parted them. He turned his head aside as the king wet his fingers and began to prepare him. The monarch's hands were gentle, though firm, and his eyes lost the frighteningly aggressive shine they had contained before.

But even so, Byakuya was surprised at how wrong it felt to be touched by someone other than his husband. As much as he despised Aizen Sousuke, marriage was a commitment. And even though it had been by royal decree, he _had_ given his consent to the union and vowed to honor it. And having done so, he had every intention of remaining true to his word. But the king's right to him _did_ supercede all other commitments. Nobles were servants of the king and could be claimed sexually or otherwise at his behest, true as it was that most monarchs did not choose to exercise that right in such a way…

"Look at me, Byakuya," said the king, derailing the noble's thoughts as he positioned himself at Byakuya's entrance and slowly pushed inside him, "_This_ bed is the one you were meant to lie in…and this body is the one that was meant to occupy yours."

He laced his fingers together with the noble's and began thrusting. His mouth fastened on Byakuya's, his tongue teasing its way inside, as his hand wrapped around the noble's arousal and stroked it firmly as their bodies moved together. Yoshiaki's mouth left his, and the king laughed softly as Byakuya moaned feverishly and arched mindlessly into the king's stroking hand.

"I am the only one meant to pleasure you this way, and when you realize that, I will bring you back to the palace and make you mine permanently, Byakuya. You need only choose. I will not force you."

He thrust hard into the pleasure center inside the noble's body, forcing a lusty cry of completion from his parted lips as Byakuya's body tensed sharply, and his release splashed onto their skin. Yoshiaki pushed in deeply, nipping at the pale shell of an ear as he emptied himself into the noble.

"My seed is the only seed that can complete you. He is a pretender. _I _am your king, Byakuya. He is nothing."

Byakuya fell back, panting harshly, his mind spinning as the king's wet member slid out of his body, and the monarch smiled at him and slowly licked Byakuya's seed from the noble's soft abdomen. He climbed out of the bed and pulled a still reeling Byakuya to his feet, steadying him as he swayed dangerously and nearly collapsed. Byakuya leaned heavily against the other man's shoulder as the king tied his yukata closed and offered him a final, wet, open-mouthed kiss.

"Thank you, Byakuya," Yoshiaki said, smiling at him again, "Your service to me is done, for now. You may go back to your husband. And at such time as you decide who you will choose, I will do what I can to help you."

Not waiting for an answer, he opened a royal senkaimon and nudged the still unsteady noble into entering it. Byakuya staggered forward, squinting and covering his eyes as the doorway into the archive opened in front of him, allowing him to pass through, then closing behind him. Byakuya stood for a moment, shivering in the chill darkness of the archive, then took a shaky step and dropped into a pretty heap on the archive floor.

A soft step sounded in the room and Aizen Sousuke stepped forward and paused, looking down at the collapsed shinigami, his eyes glinting hatefully and his lips tightening in disgust.

"So…" he said, in a voice as icy as the air around him, "he takes his revenge. And once again, you are the one who takes the damage…"

He sighed softly and knelt, then lifted his unconscious spouse into his arms.

"It is a deadly thing, being caught between two gods, Byakuya…but I think you understand that now...at least, I hope so...for your sake."


	6. Come Undone

**Chapter 6: Come Undone**

**(My apologies for being WAY behind on returning PM's and review messages, but I have been in and out of town as my friend has been preparing for her breasts removal surgery, and things have been hectic. I have over 200 messages, but will start on them when I get back later today. But I still wanted to offer something to show my gratitude, so here is what Byakuya remembers as he lies unconscious after being taken by the king…I would be ready for a verrrrrrrrry long, drawn out lemon!)**

_"So…you are here because you do not wish to go through with the marriage?" asked Aizen._

_"No…it is not that…exactly. I was accepting of the king's proposal, despite my fears about it…but…but earlier tonight, I was walking in the forest…and…I didn't realize it, but King Yoshiaki was there too. I came to a clearing…and I…I saw…"_

"_You saw what, Byakuya-kun?" asked Aizen, "Whatever it is, it must have been serious. You are shaking…"_

_He felt an odd twinge inside as Aizen's palm touched his cheek lightly. Such familiarity between them had been building for some time, so it was not strange for the man to touch him that way, but knowing that the next day, he was to marry the king, and then the monarch would…_

"_Byakuya-kun," Aizen said gently, "Tell me what you saw."_

_Byakuya blinked and swallowed nervously._

"_It was King Yoshiaki…in the forest, near the manor. He was there with his attendant, and a peasant boy that the attendant had abducted from the Rukongai…a boy named Hiro."_

"_And what happened between them that has you so upset?"_

"_The boy asked why they had brought him to that place…and…Yoshiaki-sama said that he was brought to serve his king. The king put his hands on Hiro's face…and he raised his power, and he…drained him of his life force! I know it sounds impossible, and maybe you cannot believe me, but Aizen taichou, there is something wrong with the king! He said that he requires this! And he said that marrying me would make it so that he would not need to do that. I do not know what is going on…what has happened to the king, but I felt the danger and…I…I could not go through with the wedding!"_

_He gazed up into Aizen's calm, bespectacled eyes, waiting for some kind of response. Aizen observed him quietly for a moment, then let out a sigh and nodded._

"_You are correct in your assessment of the king," he said finally, _

_Byakuya's eyes widened and then filled with relief._

"_Then…you believe me…?" he said, uncertain then, whether he wouldn't have rather been wrong…mistaken._

_But Aizen's eyes held troubled certainty._

_There was no doubt, then…_

_Byakuya felt an odd mix of gratitude for Aizen's willingness to believe him, dizziness at the connotations of it being real and a rising fear at the thought of what the king was going to do to him if he was caught._

"_Yes," said Aizen, nodding, "I have had the sense for some time that all is not well with the king."_

"_You have?" asked Byakuya, looking confused, "But how…?"_

"_Let us just say that I am familiar with what is going on," Aizen said, looking into Byakuya's frightened eyes and hating that he had to be the one to confirm the youth's fears._

_But it meant that Yoshiaki's plan had not yet moved forward. There was still time to disrupt things._

"_Byakuya," Aizen said, capturing a slender hand and squeezing it gently, "I am sorry to have to tell you that your concerns are quite understandable…and they are all too real."_

"_Do you know what has happened to the king, then?" asked the youth._

_Aizen hesitated, then nodded._

"_I know. And you are correct in your feeling that he plans to use you so that he will not have to keep draining others of their life force. You see, you are a pure power source…"_

_Byakuya's eyes flared with understanding._

"_And," he said softly, "I am untouched."_

_Aizen nodded again._

"_Because of this, you restore your internal life force at a faster rate, and this means that if he marries you, he can conceal this need for soul feeding."_

"_But why does the king need this?" asked Byakuya desperately, "What happened to him? Was he injured somehow? Did something attack him?"_

_He paused for a moment, his eyes growing more tormented._

"_And…if he has been somehow injured this way, and this is the only way that he can continue…is it not my duty to help him, despite the pain of doing so?"_

"_Byakuya-kun…"_

_Realization spread over his young body, making him grow calm and quiet again. The smoky eyes filled with understanding and he let out a long, shuddering breath. He let go of Aizen's hand and stood, resolve forcing his body not to shake with the emotion that still burned beneath the surface. He stood and looked down at Aizen, wiping away a tear that had escaped onto his face._

"_I think I understand," he said, his voice more steady and his slender hands clenching, "He must do this to survive, but he doesn't want to. He…whatever happened, he didn't want to end up this way. And…and if it will save lives and protect the interests of my king for me to do this…"_

"_No."_

_Byakuya frowned solemnly._

"_Aizen taichou," he said, meeting the older man's eyes squarely, "The noble houses are sworn to the king's service. If the king is in need, and I am the one who can answer that need, and thereby help the king remain alive without having to hurt others…"_

"_But he will hurt you, Byakuya-kun," objected Aizen, standing and moving towards the youth, "The draining is horridly painful…and as much as he believes that you will not die from it, that is not guaranteed. All that has to happen is for him to lose control in the process for a moment, and you would die. Are you telling me that this does not frighten you?"_

_Byakuya's eyes looked back at him with certainty._

"_I never said that I wasn't frightened," he admitted softly, "But I understand now, how this service to him is not something that another can offer. It has to be me."_

"_So…you are going back? You are going to do this, Byakuya-kun?" Aizen asked, his eyes sympathetic._

_A soft shiver passed through the youth and he turned towards the cabin door._

"_I have to," he said, his voice shaking slightly._

_He walked across the room and reached for the front door handle. As he did, a flash step sounded and Aizen's hand took hold of his arm, stopping him._

"_No," he said softly, "No, you don't…and you should not."_

"_But I am…?"_

"_The servant of the king," Aizen said calmly, "But the one you saw in the forest tonight is not the king as you remember him."_

"_What?" Byakuya said, staring up at him._

"_He has been possessed, and is not himself," explained Aizen, "I cannot tell you how I know, but the king has fallen under an evil power. Byakuya, to return and give him what he wants will enable the power that possesses him to strengthen. And while it is certainly upsetting that if you do not go back, he will continue to drain innocent lives, it will cause him to remain at the power level he has reached and will give me time to try to figure out, first, if he can be helped, and then either help him…or destroy him."_

_Byakuya inhaled sharply and tried to pull away, but Aizen's hand tightened on him._

"_You would…destroy the king? But that's…!"_

"_Only if he has been corrupted beyond redemption. Think Byakuya! You are young yet, but you know that if the king you remember were to be asked what he would want in the case that he lost control of himself and became a threat to the very worlds he was the guardian of…"_

_Byakuya's mind whirled, first at the thought of the king being possessed, then by the manner of demon that it would have to be to be so powerful, then at the thought of that demon feeding on him every night. A feeling of illness passed over him and he dropped to his knees, clutching his midsection. His face went ghostly white._

"_Wh-what am I to do?" he whispered in a choked voice, "I can't let him hurt those others…like the peasant boy…"_

"_But," said Aizen, kneeling in front of him, "you cannot allow him to grow more powerful, Byakuya. He could destroy the three worlds. You must not allow yourself to fall into his hands."_

_The youth stared at him wide-eyed._

"_Aizen taichou," he said in a tormented voice, "How does one run from a god? Will he not see me wherever I go? Hear my plans as I make them? How then?"_

_The two gazed at each other in silence, the answer occurring to both at once. Neither said anything at first, the weight of what was happening falling over them and leaving them quietly undone. Finally, Byakuya broke away from Aizen's eyes and stood._

"_I know what I have to do now," he said calmly, "I thank you for helping me to see where my path lies, Aizen taichou. You have, as always, served as a gentle source of loving guidance. I appreciate your friendship."_

"_You mean to allow yourself to be taken?" Aizen asked softly._

_Byakuya winced and placed a hand on his abdomen, trying to force away the feeling of illness it brought on to think of anyone touching him like that._

"_If I am not virginal, then I am not useful to him. He may still claim me…and he may choose to drain me of life in retaliation for what I have done, but…"_

_He took a shaky breath._

"_There is no choice…"_

"_He may also strike at the one you ruin yourself with…"_

_Byakuya froze._

"_I hope that the person you had in mind is someone of sufficient power to defend himself."_

"_H-had in mind?" Byakuya repeated unsteadily, "I don't know of anyone who I would feel comfortable with. I had thought to just go to the Rukongai…"_

_He shivered and went more pale at the thought._

"_But," said Aizen, "Surrendering one's innocence is meant to be an act of love, Byakuya. This…"_

"_It is my duty to protect the king's interests, and the three worlds. Nobles rarely yield their innocence in such a romantic way, Aizen taichou. You should know that. And besides, I am close to no one that way. You are the closest friend I have and I would never obligate someone who I care about in such a way. How would we ever look each other in the eyes again? I know what I am doing."_

_He started to turn away, but froze again as an arm wrapped around his waist. He turned and found himself being held gently in Aizen's arms, looking up into the man's gentle eyes._

"_What are you doing?" asked Byakuya, feeling oddly touched at the protectiveness he felt in the older man's touch._

"_I cannot let you do this. You would only regret it, Byakuya-kun. You must reconsider…"_

_Byakuya sighed, and a small, grateful smile found its way onto his lips._

"_I am so fortunate to have a friend like you, Aizen taichou. But I will not sully our association with such an awkwardness. You are a very kind man to worry for me. But I am not like other boys my age. I know already not to expect to have the choices that others do. It is part of being noble…being the servant of kings. We all understand from a very early age that we are different. It is not stature and wealth that sets us apart, but commitment to duty. You needn't worry for me. I will be all right…especially knowing that there will be someone to comfort me in the aftermath of what I must do."_

_Aizen smiled down at the youth and touched his face lightly._

"_I may not be noble," he said quietly, "But I also have a responsibility to the crown. And I have a duty to protect the ones who act on behalf of the king. So, if it will comfort you to entrust this to me, I will see that you fall more gently."_

_Byakuya's wide, smoky eyes found his and searched them quietly, as though hoping to find something in them. A deep silence fell around them as they stood, looking calmly into each other's eyes and considering. Then Byakuya let his arms wrap around the older shinigami, and rested his head on the man's shoulder, closing his eyes and loosing a relieved sigh._

"_I am grateful, Aizen taichou. It would comfort me to be in hands I trust."_

_Aizen breathed in the youth's pleasant sakura scent and his hand found one of Byakuya's and laced their fingers lightly together. He said nothing, but stepped away and felt his heart catch as Byakuya followed. He continued to hold Byakuya's hand in his as he picked up the tea tray and led the youth back down the hallway. _

_Byakuya slowed and stopped at the doorway, swallowing hard and feeling a strange dizziness pass over him. It was some odd blend of fear and uncertainty, but also of curiosity and deep excitement. It was wholly different than what he had felt, thinking of other hands touching him. It was true then, that he trusted the gentle fifth division taichou. The man had always been kind and friendly with him…always accepting of, if not amused by, his bouts of youthful emotion. He had never thought of approaching the man sexually, but now that it was in his mind, he felt oddly comfortable with the idea…as though it might have been smoldering somewhere beneath the surface…as if being touched by this man was somehow meant to happen._

_He lost some of his certainty as they stepped into Aizen's room and Aizen set the tea tray on the nightstand. He turned back to face Byakuya, whose dark eyes were focused on the bed, and whose mind was beginning to backpedal quickly._

"_Byakuya…"_

_His name sounded so very different, being spoken alone in such a way. He stood frozen as Aizen opened his own yukata, letting it fall open and watching the strong reaction in the noble youth's dark eyes, the parting of his soft lips, the quivering breath. A flush rose on his skin as Aizen's masculine scent drifted over his senses, and his stunned eyes registered the surprisingly sculpted lines of the man's body. His eyes couldn't help but trail downward, and he blushed more deeply as he followed the line of fine hairs down to a nest of brown curls, an unnervingly large and already aroused member, and a hint of the soft sac beneath. He was scared to death as Aizen's hands rose again and reached for the hooded cloak he wore, but he found himself suddenly distracted by Aizen's voice._

"_I can see that you are anxious, Byakuya," the man said calmly, "But if you just remember that the hands that will be touching you are caring ones, then you will be able to relax more. Relaxation will make this more enjoyable for you."_

_Byakuya's lips tightened._

"_This isn't about enjoyment," he said, watching quietly as Aizen removed the cloak and then loosed the tie at his waist, "This is about protecting people…performing a service to our king."_

_His heart fluttered in his chest as Aizen's eyes gazed down at his bared body. He felt small and thin compared to the fully grown man in front of him. But strangely, when he sought the man's eyes, he saw honest appreciation…frighteningly strong attraction._

"_Byakuya," Aizen said, slipping his fingers beneath the youth's chin and lifting it slightly so that their eyes met, "Despite what you have been taught, you should never yield your body to anyone who does not concern himself with your emotions. Making love is something that should be about loving and appreciating each other, on both a physical and emotional level. If not, it is not lovemaking, but just fucking."_

_Byakuya flinched at the use of such a vulgar word and Aizen smiled._

"_But I know plenty of people who…"_

"_Who fuck for enjoyment?" Aizen said, looking into the young noble's gray eyes, "Who say that it is just for fun, and that sometimes it is good to have the pleasure without the attachments? Do you believe that, Byakuya?"_

"_I…I don't know. I have never really thought about it," Byakuya admitted._

"_But that you have not engaged in it, though surely you have had the opportunity, suggests that you sensed that those were lies, ne?"_

_Byakuya shivered as Aizen moved closer and curved a palm around his face._

"_The giving of touch, of physical essence is only the beginning of lovemaking," Aizen said, his soft voice gently transfixing the youth as the older shinigami's lips approached his, "People who engage in fucking are lying to themselves. They think only of the physical pleasure, but miss entirely that lovemaking, like all other passionate exchanges, exists in a balance…a balance of flesh, emotion and soul…body, heart and mind. To please one alone may provide fleeting pleasure, but the neglect of the heart and mind creates a void…an emptiness inside. Sooner or later, that imbalance leads to pain. Do you understand, Byakuya?"_

"_Yes, Aizen taichou," the youth said, nodding._

_He remained perfectly still, staring up into the older shinigami's eyes as Aizen removed the hair tie from Byakuya's hair, and it rained down in raven black streams around his shoulders. The youth felt an odd twinge in his loins as he read the genuine attraction in Aizen's eyes and registered the soft twitch of the man's cock in response to the loosing of his hair._

"_So," said Byakuya, his voice trembling slightly, "Are you saying that you feel something for me, Aizen taichou?"_

"_What does your heart tell you? What does it feel when you look at me this way?" Aizen asked._

"_Ah," said Byakuya, shaking his head, "I thought it was a simple question."_

_Aizen smiled and brought his lips tantalizingly close to Byakuya's._

"_Do I want you physically?" he asked softly._

"_Yes, Aizen taichou. Your body is aroused by me. I can see that."_

"_And do I understand your emotions?" Aizen asked._

_Byakuya smiled shyly and nodded._

"_You have always seemed to understand me."_

"_And do I long for my soul to connect with yours this way?"_

_Byakuya stared at him wordlessly._

"_This is the most difficult question, I know," Aizen acknowledged, "but it will become clear in a moment."_

_He closed the distance between them, capturing the youth's lips in a slow, gentle kiss. Byakuya felt his legs weaken, and fought to remember the question he had been asked. He opened his eyes, which had closed reflexively, and took in the warmth of the arms that encircled him, the firm, hungry contact between their lips, the fires of passion beneath the calm, gentle brown eyes, the sense that Aizen was purposely restraining those passions, and the swirl of intense emotion around them. He continued to look into the older man's eyes as Aizen's lips left his and the fifth division taichou climbed onto the bed. He waited quietly as Byakuya stood next to the bed, still lost in consideration. Finally, he seemed to come to resolution, and he climbed onto the bed, where he knelt, facing Aizen._

"_I don't know that I can answer your last question," he admitted, "I do not know what your mind…what your soul desires of me. I can only say that my heart and my body believe that you want to be joined with me this way."_

_Aizen nodded._

"_Always, the other person's mind…his soul, is the greatest mystery. You are wise to listen carefully to your heart to make a decision like this. So, we have determined my readiness, but now we'll consider yours, Byakuya. I know that you have chosen to do this primarily out of a sense of duty and a desire to protect others. But…"_

_He touched the youth's face and saw the quick flutter of his eyelids and the soft heaving of his chest and smiled approvingly._

"_You are aroused by me as well, ne?"_

_Byakuya took a shaky breath and nodded._

"_And you are respectful of my emotions, as you proved when you resisted accepting my offer in consideration of how it might affect our friendship. That leaves one question. Does your mind…does the soul inside you wish to connect with mine?"_

_He smiled at the sudden look of confusion on the youth's face._

"_Ah, you thought it would be easier to answer this from your own perspective, ne?"_

"_But, if anything, it feels more difficult," Byakuya mused, "I don't understand…"_

"_Your body and your heart are very certain of themselves, and speak so loudly, it is hard to remember to stop and think, ne?"_

"_Y-yes, exactly!" the youth said, nodding, "But then, how…?"_

_Aizen's lips captured his again, and Byakuya felt everything else fall away for a moment. And in that moment of stillness, he felt a deep, compelling impulse, one that underscored the emotions and the physical reactions. He smiled against Aizen's lips, realizing and pouring the answer into his return kiss._

"_I see," said the older shinigami, "Then, we are ready."_

"_Aizen taichou…?" Byakuya said uncertainly._

_"I will be gentle. Don't worry."_

_He shivered as the yukata slid down off of his shoulders._

_"Aizen taichou, I don't know if I…"_

_"It is the only way…"_

_He kissed Byakuya again, this time parting his lips and teasing the youth's lips with a questing tongue. Byakuya's lips parted reflexively and he froze for a moment as Aizen's tongue slipped into his mouth and began a slow, savory exploration. He didn't know quite how it happened, but as they continued to kiss, somehow he moved forward until he was straddling the older shinigami's body. He loosed a soft gasp as his hardened member brushed against one that was larger and burned hotter. A flash of fear broke across his mind and he pulled away, then sat a short distance away from Aizen, panting softly and blushing furiously._

"_S-sorry," he said, his voice shaking, "I don't know what…"_

"_You don't need to apologize," Aizen said quietly, not moving from the place where he knelt, "And you don't need to fear it. Look at it for a few moments. Touch it. It's only an expression of attraction."_

_Byakuya hesitated, then slowly raised his eyes and looked again at Aizen's swollen and flushed arousal. Aizen watched quietly and held perfectly still as Byakuya stared, unmoving, for several long minutes, then seemed to relax slightly._

"_Touch it," Aizen invited him, "I will not do anything."_

_Byakuya bit his lip, feeling stupid for being so insecure. He steeled himself against the emotions and moved closer. He moved forward until he felt the flush of heat coming from the other man, then froze again._

"_Byakuya, will you trust me?" asked Aizen, "Give me your hand."_

_Byakuya remained frozen for a moment, staring into the older man's gentle eyes and reminding himself that Aizen Sousuke had never been anything but kind to him. He shivered as he made himself move, but managed to set a trembling hand in Aizen's. His heart fluttered as his hand was raised to the older man's lips and Aizen kissed his fingertips._

_Byakuya smiled and relaxed as Aizen's hand moved his to the older man's slightly stubbled cheek, then guided it down his neck, then to a muscled shoulder. He kept his eyes fixed on Aizen's as his hand was moved down to touch the man's smooth torso, the ridges of his rib cage, then the muscular abdominals beneath. His breath caught and his heart began to race again as his hand was brought down further, but to his surprise, Aizen bypassed his nether region and settled Byakuya's hand on his thigh. He released the young noble's slender hand and left it there…waiting._

_He stared down at his hand, and at Aizen's leaking erection, then slowly lifted his hand and let his fingertips touch it lightly. He felt a shiver go through Aizen's carefully restrained body and suddenly realized how difficult it must be for him to hold himself back for someone so immature. Guilt flooded him inside and he resolved not to be such a child. He swallowed hard and relaxed his hand, offering Aizen a gentle caress and leaning forward to kiss him. The dark brown eyes sparked and Aizen's lips smiled. And it felt so good inside to know that he had caused the man some kind of pleasure, that Byakuya found himself considering something he had only heard of, but had never even dreamed of trying._

_He pulled away gently, leaving his hand on the older shinigami's length, then lowered himself between the man's parted thighs. He let his breath touch the hot, leaking appendage, smiling at seeing it twitch and leak more pearly fluid in response. He brought his untried lips to the slick head and heard Aizen inhale sharply. His lips moved, as though he was trying to ask a question, but no sound emerged from him as Byakuya tasted the salty fluid at the tip of his inflamed cock, then wrapped his mouth around the man's organ and sank down slowly. He paused, startled as a lusty groan escaped the older man's lips. Aizen looked down at him and smiled._

"_Don't be startled," he said, a soft tremor in his voice, "When people make love, the noises that escape them are simply indications of the intensity of their passions. They are nothing to be held back or to feel embarrassed about."_

_Byakuya nodded and closed his eyes, sliding up and down Aizen's length, licking and sucking contentedly, and listening to the man's increasingly restless moans. He moved restlessly, sinking his fingers into Byakuya's hair, leaning back against the pillows and encouraging the up and down motion._

"_Ah…B-byakuya, you should stop. You have never…done this. Or…at least of you are going to…th-then…remember to…swallow as…as soon as…it…begins."_

_Byakuya smiled, feeling oddly enticed by seeing the usually calm man so naked, so hot and sweaty, making such lovely sounds and looking much less collected than he had ever seen him. He sucked harder, his eyes watching intently as Aizen gasped and moaned, his fingers tightening warningly in Byakuya's hair. The youth pulled back slightly and forced himself to swallow as Aizen's cock quivered in his mouth and the older shinigami shuddered and panted heatedly. He swallowed repeatedly as hot pulses of thick, salty fluid filled his mouth and some leaked out at the edges. His eyes teared slightly as he forced himself to swallow, when what he really wanted to do was to breathe. His head went into a spin and he felt himself being dragged onto Aizen's heaving chest. Aizen licked the escaped bits of fluid away, then sank deeply into his mouth, sucking on Byakuya's tongue and moaning delightedly. He turned and brought the youth lightly down on his back on the pillows, then began a slow exploration of the bared, white flesh, kissing and tasting, touching and caressing as he moved down Byakuya's slender, quaking torso. The youth blushed brightly at the lusty moan that escaped him as Aizen's tongue teased one erect, pink nipple, then his fingers gently stroked it as his mouth moved on to the other._

"_I told you. Don't hold back," Aizen said, smirking, "I enjoy the sounds you make. I find them very pleasing, very sensual."_

_He couldn't help panting and moving fitfully as Aizen's mouth made a line of kisses down his soft abdomen, then paused and moved down to his thighs. Byakuya made a sound that held both passion and fear as Aizen's hands parted his thighs and the man's mouth began to work its way slowly up one inner thigh, then stopped and tormented the other._

"_Aizen taichou…" Byakuya moaned feverishly, "I don't know if I can…"_

"_You can," Aizen whispered, leaning forward and kissing the youth's flushed erection._

_Byakuya gasped and started to pull away, but froze as Aizen's hands tightened on his thighs, pushing them open wide as the man's mouth sank down on his swollen member and his hand caressed the soft sac beneath it. Byakuya couldn't help but push his hips upward. He gasped and moaned helplessly as Aizen's mouth sucked and the man's tongue stroked his riled cock. He groaned as Aizen's mouth released him, and the man's lips wrapped around his sac, stroking and teasing, then moving lower. A strong hand grabbed his hip and held him down as Aizen's tongue touched his entrance lightly. A mindless scream of pleasure erupted from his lips and hot seed erupted from his throbbing member._

"_Oh…!" Byakuya gasped, flushing._

_Aizen smiled and continued to hold the youth down as he licked away Byakuya's release. He wet his fingers in the slippery fluid and then ran them lightly about the ring at the noble's virgin entrance, making Byakuya shudder and moan. He flinched as one of the older shinigami's fingers slowly penetrated him, pushing inside and then slowly sliding in and out as Aizen calmly licked the wetness from his spent member. He relaxed in stages, letting his head fall back against the pillows and closing his eyes as Aizen's lips and tongue gently distracted him and a second finger joined the first inside him. Aizen's fingers hooked and Byakuya sucked in a sharp breath, his hips rising off the bed and a soft twinge of new arousal passing through him. Aizen's mouth wrapped around his cock again, gently sucking and licking by turns as a third finger penetrated him and Aizen's fingers pumped in and out of him. He felt his mind spinning away again, felt the ache of arousal, and that deep longing for connection all coming together. He shivered in anticipation as all of the pleasant sensations stopped at once, and he opened his eyes._

"_What is it?" he asked softly._

_Aizen gave him a heart-melting smile._

"_I am torn," he admitted, "I can be more gentle if you are on your hands and knees when I take you, but…I want to look into your eyes. We will feel the connection more strongly that way."_

_Byakuya smiled back at him._

"_Then…we should meet each other's eyes. I am not afraid of it hurting so much. We fight hollows every day. It can't hurt more than being slashed by them, ne?"_

_Aizen laughed softly._

"_No, I guess not."_

_He settled between the noble's parted thighs and pushed them wider, then positioned himself at Byakuya's entrance and, with their eyes tightly locked, began to push inside him. He moved in soft, short thrusts, watching for signs of pain and stopping once or twice to let the youth adjust. He stopped as the last of his length slid inside, and Byakuya winced and caught his breath._

"_You are lovely, Byakuya," he said, smiling, "Although the circumstances that brought us together this way are unpleasant, I can't be sorry."_

"_I can't either," Byakuya whispered back as Aizen kissed his sweat dampened brow._

_They went quiet as Aizen's hips moved, then Byakuya sighed hungrily and began to move with him. Aizen's mouth fastened on his and the two fed furiously on each other's lips as their bodies thrust against each other, sweating and shaking, panting and moaning as they sought that final pinnacle of their joining. Byakuya's back arched and his hands clenched the older man's shoulders tightly as Aizen's powerful hips thrust into him penetrating deeper each time and moving faster as Byakuya's moans of pleasure deepened into rough, passionate cries. _

_The tip of Aizen's thrusting member found the bundle of sensitive nerves inside the young noble and struck it soundly once, twice, then a third time. Byakuya's back arched again, and he loosed a howl if unrestrained elation as his cock twitched and pulsed, and his seed splashed onto their skin. Aizen's hands grabbed the youth's round bottom and held on tightly as he groaned in complete ecstasy and emptied himself into his young lover. He collapsed onto Byakuya's chest and stopped moving altogether. But something even more beautiful passed through him as Byakuya's voice sounded in his ears again._

_"Aishiteru yo," Byakuya whispered softly, "Aizen taichou."_

_Aizen smiled and started to answer, but the two naked shinigamis sat up together as an alarm began to shriek. Aizen looked into his lover's eyes, the smile gone and his own eyes dark and serious._

_"Stay here. Do not move from this room until I come back for you."_

_He set the boundaries carefully and flash stepped away. Byakuya sat up and wrapped his yukata around him, his heart still pounding and Aizen's heat still warming him inside. He wondered briefly how long it would be until the king appeared and tried to kill him._

_And he wondered if he really cared anymore…_


	7. Love Unmade

**Chapter 7: Love Unmade**

**(I am recovering files damaged in a very unprecedented laptop meltdown yesterday. I spent all day yesterday working on the fixes, and now have things back in working order. Had to reload Windows, Microsoft Office and my Browser...didn't have any prior experience, but learned from the desktop how to fix my laptop. God I love technology! Anyway, I am reloading my files that I was lucky enough to have saved onto a flash drive, which means I only lost the chapters I was working on when the meltdown happened...sorry everyone waiting for Learning to Love Without Sake, Stolen Seedling and Untouched. I am working on those chapters now. This one, I cooked up last night and this morning, while moaning and groaning to my husband about how my computer hates me!**

**Thanks going out to all of the wonderful folks reading and reviewing. My next Herculean task is to tackle the HUGE backup of e-mail waiting for me. But in the meantime, thanks to the lovely geecee (Yes, I am working on the first chapter of a Tsukishima x Byakuya named The Final Page. That will be along in the next few days), kyricx (I love that "A-ha!" moment in stories too...where it all starts to make sense!), iloveaizenandbyakuya (Thanks for the good wishes. My friend is hanging in there and is comforted to know people are thinking of her. You are welcome for the lemons, and I promise more soon! Also, more Aizen vs Yoshiaki will be in Chapter 8!), lilbit1016 (No need to wait anymore, more is here! And I will hurry the next one along. I am really engrossed in this story now!), ThisLittlePiggyStayedHome (Poor Bya thanks you for the hugs and sends a shower of sakura petals...not blades, lol, although what you said about 'dubious consent' riled him a little...especially when I told him to expect more of it!), XDarkerXDesireX (Welcome back from the other side! lol), Sariniste (Probably the most dedicated Aizen/Bya fan there is...erm...no one kill me for that comment, please? And yes, once Byakuya recovers from the shock, I think he will quickly recover his place at his true love's side, though Yoshiaki will not make that so easy!), Walkure (Byakuya will be a little out of his senses at first, but will quickly remember just how nasty that king can be! He will seek his true love's arms again soon...but, well...Yoshiaki will prove troublesome...), SlytherinQueen020 (Byakuya will regain his trust, but the road will be rocky, even so. True love is never easy, is it?), Nightstalker21 (I am writing fast now! Thanks for the encouragement.), ByakuyaFanGirl (Byakuya will dream a bit more, and when he awakens to his fully regained memory, he will really kick himself, but that's our lovely Bya...always hard on everyone, but most especially himself.), sakasandora (Thanks for your enthusiasm! With all of this support, I am highly motivated to keep the story rolling out fast.), digzzz (I think Sousuke and Bya liked your Chapter 5 comments on facebook! lol), and all of the silent fanfiction stalkers (I see you in the stats, so thanks so much for reading! ;) Enjoy!). Hope you all enjoy this...although, I think Byakuya might not have...)**

_Byakuya felt an odd shift in the air around him and a quiver passed through his recently plundered body. He sensed the clashing of powers that were beyond his comprehension, felt the shaking of reality and wrapped his arms around his slender torso, placing his back against the wall and waiting._

"_He will come back…" he whispered, holding himself tightly, "He told me to wait here for him."_

_The air grew more and more chilled, and after a time, even the warmth that their lovemaking had left inside him faded. But he dared not move, not even to wrap the blankets more firmly about his bared body. He dared not speak, but listened deeply for the sound of Aizen's footsteps. He did hear footsteps approaching, but he wasn't sure whose they were, only that it was a person of great power. As they grew closer, he realized where he had heard them before._

"_King Yoshiaki…" he whispered, as the monarch appeared at the bedroom door._

_The king stared at the naked, shivering youth, his face contorted with fury._

"_Kuchiki Byakuya," he said in a low, accusing tone, "What have you done?"_

_Byakuya's eyes closed and his voice shook when he spoke._

"_You are going to kill me," he said softly, "You are going to drain me of life, as you did to the peasant boy in the forest, aren't you?"_

_The king's eyes narrowed and a measure of the anger left his eyes._

"_The peasant boy…?" he repeated, "That is why you did this?"_

"_Something has happened to you, your majesty," Byakuya said softly, "I know that. And I know the true reason why you claimed me."_

_The king's expression darkened._

"_You know nothing, Kuchiki Byakuya, nothing at all."_

"_No," said Byakuya, "I know what I saw. I saw you kill that boy, and I heard what you planned for me…"_

_The king's eyes widened for a moment with understanding._

"_Ah," he said, more gently, "I see. He lured you here."_

"_What?" asked Byakuya, looking up at the king._

_He wondered at the fact that the monarch still stood in the doorway, but had not entered the room._

"_Aizen Sousuke…with his illusion, he lured you."_

"_I don't understand…"_

"_You poor child," said Yoshiaki, his golden eyes warming with sympathy, "Even now, you are surrounded in that man's horrid lies."_

"_But…why would Aizen taichou lie to me?" asked Byakuya, "He has only ever been my friend and mentor."_

"_A friend? A mentor, you say?" repeated the king, a sarcastic edge in his voice, "I would say he chose an odd thing to teach the king's fiancée, ne? He knew I had claimed you…and he wanted you for himself. He created that illusion to bring you here, all for the purpose of seducing you."_

_He shook his head disapprovingly as Byakuya lowered his eyes, frowning in confusion._

"_No…" he said, his voice distressed, "Aizen taichou would not lie to me! I know him! He would never…"_

"_He left awfully suddenly, ne?" said the king._

"_Because of the alert," said the youth, "But he said he would come back for me!"_

"_And yet…I am here, and he is not. If he was protecting you from me, it seems that he has failed."_

_Byakuya's widened eyes fastened on the king's and his body shook harder._

"_Y-you…killed him? B-because of me?" he whispered, tears filling his eyes._

_Yoshiaki's eyes glittered back at him dangerously._

"_I did better than that," he said quietly, "I erased him. He took advantage of you, you naïve boy. And even alone and abandoned, you still believe his lies?"_

"_You…erased him?" Byakuya said, sickness flooding his slender form, "Aizen taichou?"_

"_He is gone. He will not ever return."_

_The king extended a hand._

"_Well, it seems he has stopped our wedding. Do not worry, Byakuya, I will hide your torrid secret and let you keep your reputation. I see no point in tormenting you. You must be so ashamed of yourself, falling for such a cheap trick…throwing away your innocence so recklessly…to someone who abandoned you immediately once he had what he wanted. Come…allow me to take the sting out of this for you. I will make it all disappear."_

"_My lord," Byakuya said, lowering his eyes to look at his hands, where they clenched the bedding, "This cannot be. I have known Aizen taichou all of my life!"_

_The king smiled at him sadly._

"_You have known him all of your life you say?" he said raising a palm and touching it to the shield that surrounded Byakuya, "I would say, Kuchiki Byakuya, that you do not know Aizen taichou at all…because he does not exist. He never did. The gentle shinigami you know and just gave yourself to…is the very demon you feared. But come…you will not know the truth of him for certain until you allow yourself to see it. As long as you choose to remain within this prison he constructed, I cannot help you. And you must ask yourself…who are you serving by remaining here? Your friends? your noble family? Your king? Aizen Sousuke convinced you that I had been corrupted, ne? Would you say that I look corrupted now? If I had the evil in me that you think I do, would not a powerful noble born servant of the king sense that?"_

"_My lord, I…" Byakuya said, tears leaking onto his face._

"_You must stop," the king said gently, "Don't you understand? If Aizen Sousuke has lied to you and dishonored you, then all you are doing is further tarnishing your family's name. And if he has told you the truth, then he has lost…and you must face the consequences of allowing yourself to be so used. But I will offer you forgiveness, Byakuya…a chance to erase the past and restore your good name. You needn't be tainted by his lies anymore. Let the king you have always served so faithfully reward you for your service by cleansing your dirtied soul. Come to me. Come to your king, Byakuya."_

_Byakuya remained on the bed, tears running down his face, trying desperately to sense where Aizen had gone…or that he was still alive…or that he had ever existed. But his mind could not touch Aizen's and his body felt unbearably cold. And inside, his young heart felt like it was breaking apart._

"_You poor, lost soul," the king said very softly, "You have learned the truth, haven't you? To walk with Aizen Sousuke means you walk alone."_

_Byakuya heard his name being called, and recognized the voices…his attendant, the members of the sixth division, who knew him as their fukutaichou, Soutaichou, Ukitake taichou, Kyoraku taichou, Unohana taichou, Urahara-san, Yoruichi and finally, his grandfather._

"_Oh!" he sobbed, reaching for his yukata, "They cannot see me like this!"_

"_How will you explain to them what you have done, Byakuya? They will not understand. They will hate you. They will abandon you. And your beloved friend, Aizen Sousuke will have abandoned you. What will you do?"_

_Byakuya buried his face in his hands, reaching into his memory and recapturing for just a moment, the connection he had felt with Aizen. He heard a soft, gentle whisper in his mind._

"_No matter that he has won this battle, he has not won the war," Aizen's voice told him, "Go to him. Let him erase everything. I will return to you. I promise you."_

_With an effort, he forced the tears away and dried his eyes. His body still bare, he slipped out of the bed and stood, then wrapped his yukata around his slender frame as the king watched him with predatory eyes. He walked quietly to the shield barrier and stopped just inside, looking up at Yoshiaki._

_The king smiled._

"_You have decided, then?"_

"_I will return to you if you will answer one question," Byakuya said calmly, "What have you done with Aizen Sousuke?"_

_The king's eyes narrowed and filled with hatred._

"_Even now, you insult me by taking his side, Byakuya? Have you no pride? No remorse? No soul at all? Very well, then. Since you have promised to come to me if I answer, I will tell you…not that it will matter. But…I was able to trap Aizen Sousuke, and I have placed him and the two shinigamis who tried to help him in dimensional cells. I have replaced them in Soul Society with demons clothed in illusion. They will rewrite Aizen Sousuke as a betrayer…a liar…a murderer. And if you do not surrender to me as you promised, then the Kuchiki name will fall as well. Once the greatest servants of the king, you will be ejected from the noble families and live forever in disgrace and poverty. I can understand you selfishly holding on to this fantasy that Aizen has fed you, but are you really going to drag your family and the ones who have always trusted you down with you?_

_Byakuya looked into the king's eyes calmly, his heart steadied by what Aizen had whispered into his mind._

"_I will do as I must, of course," he said, his eyes remaining fastened on the king's, "But as I do, know that I take these steps for my lover, my family, and for my lost king. I do not know what has happened to you, your majesty, but I am sorry. I am sorry that you must suffer until we grow strong enough to free you."_

_Byakuya closed his eyes for a moment, recapturing in his mind the warmth and love he had always felt in Aizen Sousuke's presence. Then he opened them again and stepped forward, feeling a shiver as the barrier broke apart and he stood before the king. Yoshiaki glared down at him._

"_Aren't you afraid at all?" he asked angrily, "I could kill you for this betrayal, little fool! Look at you. You reek of him! There is no part of you left unfouled."_

_The king's power gathered around his hand, and he raised it as though preparing to strike the noble youth down. He froze at the complete lack of reaction in Byakuya's eyes._

"_I should kill you," he said, lowering his hand, "But I will not. Despite dirtying yourself with him, you are still useful to me. But you will pay dearly for your misbehavior, young noble!"_

_He took hold of the front of Byakuya's yukata and forced the youth onto his knees. He placed a hand on Byakuya's face and frowned down at him._

"_Pray that I do not lose control and kill you," he said in a low, malevolent voice._

_Byakuya took a rough, hissing breath and released it in a mindless scream as the king's power surrounded him and he felt the soul feeding begin._

"_You even taste of him," the king sneered as he fed on the young noble's life force, "But I need the strength to take the next step. Now that he is gone, I will make the worlds over the way I want them. And no one, not even you will remember him the way he was. His name will be cursed, Byakuya. And he will sit in that dimensional hole and listen as you and everyone else curses him! You think I am being cruel doing what I am doing to you, but true cruelty would have been imprisoning you with your filthy, thieving lover! Be glad that all you will lose are your memories of him…"_

_Byakuya met the king's eyes again, his screams fading as the feeding ended and the king's power began to fade. The king stared down into his devastated eyes and dragged Byakuya to his feet._

"_This is the end," he said softly, "In a moment, everything that happened will disappear. Be glad for that, Byakuya. The truth is too horrid for you. This will be much easier for you to bear."_

_He placed a hand on top of the strangely calm youth's head, letting his fingers sink into the soft, silken black hair, then loosed the power he had drawn from Byakuya's body and watched the world shift and change around him._

_Byakuya's eyes watched, his heart oddly silent and unburdened as the light around him brightened and slowly became blinding. He connected one more time with Aizen's distant mind and heard a faint, last whisper._

"_It will be all right. Aishiteru yo, my Byakuya."_

_Then all feeling left Byakuya's body and Aizen Sousuke's voice and presence completely disappeared._

XXXXXXXXXX

Byakuya opened his eyes and blinked slowly, several times to make the room he was in resolve around him. He found himself in his own room, dressed in a soft, white yukata and comfortably tucked into bed, but alone. He tried to move, but found himself to be oddly weak and shaky.

"Oh, do not try to get up yet, Byakuya-sama!" Torio exclaimed as he came through the inner doorway.

"T-torio, where is…Sousuke?"

"Aizen-sama?" Torio asked, looking back at him, "He was up with you all night, Byakuya-sama. Koji and I did try to convince him to sleep, but he refused to leave you. He remained with you until he was certain that you were out of danger, and then he left for his division."

"Danger?" Byakuya repeated, "I was…ill?"

Torio gave him a confused look.

"He only said that you had been attacked and drained, and he handled your healing himself," the youth explained, "He didn't really explain."

He stopped at Byakuya's bedside and tucked the blankets back in around the noble.

"I will be back in a moment, sir, with some tea and something to eat. You were badly drained. You need to let your body restore itself."

"Torio…" Byakuya said in a shaking voice, blinking and shaking his head to clear it.

The attendant disappeared out the door without hearing him. Byakuya turned onto his side and gazed out the open garden doors.

"I don't remember the king draining me this time," he mused, "Not like before. I only remember him ordering me to please him sexually, and then…"

He turned his head, contemplating the empty space beside him.

_It is no surprise that he left me. He must hate me now. How could he not? How could he even look at me after what I've done? I allowed the king to use me for his pleasure, and I did so willingly…out of duty. Were I not such a well-trained servant, I would have died rather than to let him touch me. I was not afraid of the pain of disobedience, but the dishonor to my family. But what honor is there in being used as his whore? An object of fleeting pleasure? What I feel inside…it is that emptiness that Sousuke was speaking of when he explained to me the difference between making love and just fucking. I didn't understand then, because I was too innocent, and because the only one who had ever touched me, had done so for love. Yes…he wasn't just with me to stop the king's plans._

_Sousuke loved me._

_I am wise enough to know that now._

_But being wiser also means realizing that now…I am nothing to him._

_I have failed him in a way that cannot be undone._

_Sousuke…_

_I am sorry._

_I understand now._

_I thought, at first, that it was anger that made him lash out at me, that made him attack me and destroy Senbonzakura. But…now that I understand what he was trying to show me, I understand that he held back. He could have killed me along with Sen, and he did not. He could have killed us both as punishment for my refusal to believe him, and he could have given life back to us. Because what he was showing me…what I should have seen before and didn't was that he is…_

"A transcendent being?" Byakuya whispered, sitting up slowly, "One that fights on the level of a god?"

He left the bed and rose onto shaky legs, then abandoned his room without thought. With bare feet and his tumbled, untamed hair in a shambles about his shoulders, he ran through the gardens, unable to manage even a flash step. He burst out the back gate as Torio's worried voice called out to him from the bedroom. His legs remained weak and he fell several times, staining the white clothing he wore and leaving dirt on his pristine, white palms. But with an effort, he reached the top of the waterfall, and stopped at the cliff's edge, panting with the effort of having pushed himself too hard, and hating himself furiously.

"I've been so stupid!" he berated himself, his eyes looking down at the windswept surface of the lake beneath the cliff, "Sousuke…"

He closed his eyes and stood poised on the edge of the cliff, his mind spinning with self-reproach and his heart as turbulent as the water. Something inside seemed to snap, and his legs collapsed, sending him falling forward, over the precipice. He wanted to tap into his inner strength, to fight, to save himself, but he had lost the ability to move. He felt himself begin to fall, and resisted the urge to cry out. Instead, he fell soundlessly, only breaking free of his daze as a steadying arm wrapped around his waist, stopping him. He was pulled back from the edge and turned, to find himself looking into the penitent eyes of the king.

"You look disappointed," said Yoshiaki, holding him close, "I know you were hoping that he would forgive you for putting your service to me, first. I feel responsible for this...for his rejection of you. You were only doing your duty as one of my noble servants, after all."

He surprised Byakuya's lips with a gentle kiss.

"I was harsh with you before. It was because of my anger towards him," the king explained, "I hope you will forgive me. I didn't mean to hurt you. I should have been more sensitive to your state of mind. I failed to reward my servant's devotion. But I will take care of you now."

He felt the king's power rise around them, and his mind began to sink into darkness. The cliff, Kuchiki Manor, the king…everything disappeared into an odd haze that wrapped around him and left him weightless in the king's arms. He felt himself being lifted, and sensed the opening of a doorway. But the king had only gone a few steps when Aizen's voice reached Byakuya's fading mind.

"Put him down."

"No."

"Put him down, or I will kill you, here and now!"


	8. Not a Simple Reflection

**Chapter 8: Not a Simple Reflection**

_"Put him down."_

_"No."_

_"Put him down, or I will kill you, here and now!"_

Yoshiaki smirked and shook his head.

"Sousuke," he said in a reproving voice, "Both you and I know that neither of us can kill the other yet. We can certainly do damage to each other, but we are both transcendent, essentially immortal."

"I am aware of what we are," Aizen said in a low voice, his brown eyes glittering dangerously, "But in your hurry to shore up your powers, you have become reckless. You nearly killed him. I was forced to restore him, using my own life force. You know what that means."

"It means that he will transition soon," Yoshiaki said, nodding, his golden eyes glancing down at the unconscious noble's face, "But that is only better for me. After all, in lieu of him being virginal, transforming him to be one of us means that I can, once again, use him more freely to bolster my own power."

"You _fool_!" hissed Aizen, "Even once he does transition, remember that he will become pregnant with the heir. And if you drain him while he is pregnant, you won't just kill him, you will overwhelm his systems and he will become a hollow! He won't be so _useful_ to you that way, ne?"

"Why don't you just let me worry about that?" Yoshiaki asked sarcastically, "I have granted you more than you deserve, Sousuke. Remember, I _did_ free you, after all."

"You freed me?" Aizen said, an edge of disgust in his voice, "So you did. But _you_ remember that you had no choice because your dependence on that thing you created caused the disruption in the spiritual core of our worlds that it took both of us to stop!"

"Shut up!" snapped the king, "You know that I never would have _needed_ the hougyoku if our father had done the right thing and named me heir!"

"I cannot help it that I was chosen over you."

"It doesn't matter!" hissed Yoshiaki, his reiatsu flaring hotly around him, "because I proved my strength by killing him…and then by trapping you. If you were meant to be heir, wouldn't you have been able to stop me?"

Aizen's reiatsu darkened and blazed red around him, lighting his brown eyes with a devilish glow.

"You and I both know that the only reason you defeated me was because you first sucked the life out of our father and mother! That was what gave you the edge you needed to overcome me."

Yoshiaki laughed wickedly, his lips twisting into a cruel sneer.

"Well, they _owed_ me something, ne? For not respecting my powers!"

"What powers?" asked Aizen, his reiatsu swelling until the ground around them rumbled, "The powers you used to defeat me were stolen!"

Aizen disappeared and flash stepped away as a huge kido blast struck the place he had been standing.

"_You_ need to learn to respect what you cannot overcome!" snapped Yoshiaki.

He gasped in surprise, then his reiatsu roared around him as Byakuya's unconscious form was torn from his hands.

"Give him back!" he yelled, "He belongs to me!"

Aizen held the noble close and glared back at his brother.

"Byakuya was chosen to be the royal consort. Our father created him to be my mate, not yours!"

"I am _king_!" hissed Yoshiaki, "So it stands to reason that, as the chosen consort, Byakuya is _mine_."

Aizen set the noble gently on the ground beneath one of the sakura trees and raised a protective barrier around him.

"This man is not some toy for us to fight over like a couple of immature children," said Aizen, "He is a _person_. He may have been fated to bear the next king, but that does not take away his right to choose his path. You might remember that there are natural laws that guide our worlds, Yoshiaki."

"Laws?" said the king, sarcastically, his reiatsu blazing and cracking the ground underneath him, "The only _law_ that matters here is that I am more powerful than you, and that means that _I_ set the laws that guide our worlds!"

The king drew his sword and blocked a heavy downward slash as Aizen left Byakuya's side and attacked. His golden eyes glared into his brother's hatefully and his reiatsu caught fire. Aizen loosed a blast of kido, which, though blocked, forced Yoshiaki over the edge of the cliff. The monarch flash stepped down to the open meadow and blocked the next set of furious slashes and thundering kido blasts.

"You are expending a great deal of power, brother," said Aizen, "Remember what happened before, how your thirst for power upset the balances of our worlds and nearly destroyed them!"

"If you are so worried about our worlds," said Yoshiaki, blocking Aizen's heavy kido blast, "then you should give up now. You are forcing me to expend the power, and you know that will necessitate gathering more! You are dooming so many to death by fighting me, ne Brother? And for what? Even if I leave here without Byakuya, I only need to officially annul your joke of a marriage and claim him for myself! This fight is pointless!"

Yoshiaki went silent as Aizen disappeared.

"It is no use," he said in a low, reproving tone, "I may not be able to see you…but…"

He turned and slashed with his sword, blocking the incoming blow, then belatedly realized it was an illusion, and was nearly taken off his feet by a huge kido blast. The ground shook fiercely as the two exchanged furious sword strikes and thundering blasts of raw power.

Up on the cliff, Byakuya stirred and rose onto his hands and knees, his hazy eyes blinking as he looked down at the meadow.

"I _told _you that this is _pointless_!" hissed Yoshiaki.

"Then leave this place and leave Byakuya and me in peace! You have the crown! That is what you wanted. I agreed to give up the crown, but the agreement was that you would allow me to marry Byakuya. You said nothing about invoking the king's privilege so that you could have sex with him any time you felt like it!"

"Well, as _king_, I have that right, now don't I?" said Yoshiaki sarcastically, "You are just angry because you didn't think of that when you made that agreement. You are married to the little trollop now. Enjoy him! I certainly will as well! What's wrong, Sousuke? Weren't you the one who once suggested sharing our power? Now, all of a sudden, you don't feel like sharing anymore?"

"I told you," roared Aizen, his eyes blazing and his sword humming with power as it crashed down onto Yoshiaki's, "Byakuya is a _person_, not a possession! That you would treat him that way is not just wrong, it is disgusting!"

Byakuya caught his breath softly as the ground trembled underneath him. He watched wide-eyed as the king and Aizen clashed in the meadow below him.

"S-sousuke…" he said softly, taking hold of the sakura tree and pulling himself to his feet.

He touched the protective barrier with his fingertips and sensed that, in his current, weakened state, it was beyond his ability to shatter it. Instead, he fixed his eyes on the two combatants, watching silently as they struck at each other, flash stepped away and attacked again. He felt sick inside being left waiting to see who would claim him.

Sick.

Weak.

And weary…

The emotions burned inside him so hotly that it began to feel as though fire had erupted inside his body. He put a hand on his abdomen, swaying dizzily and sliding to his knees again. He panted harshly as the pain in his midsection grew, and his power flared to life all around him.

_What in kami's name is happening to me?_

He screamed in pain and collapsed completely as his power erupted and burned out of control all around him. A slim shaft of surprise and terror sliced through him as he felt his own power begin to consume him.

Down below him, in the meadow, Yoshiaki's head turned to look at Byakuya, and he was taken off his feet by a sudden, intense blast of kido. He crashed to the ground with an enraged howl, then came to his feet again, only to find that his brother had disappeared from the meadow, and had crashed through the barrier surrounding Byakuya and taken him as well. He glared up at where Byakuya had been, his eyes narrowing and his power still glowing hotly around him.

"Very well, then," he said quietly, "See to him then. But you are only going to lose him to me in the end!"

He slid his weapon back into its sheath with an angry click, then disappeared from the meadow.

XXXXXXXXXX

Aizen held Byakuya against him and flash stepped away from the manor. He carried the stricken noble to an open field, some distance from where they had been and quickly constructed and barrier to protect their surroundings from being damaged. He laid Byakuya on his back on the ground and leaned over him, extending his hands and placing one on his pained face and one on his glowing abdomen. Byakuya's distressed gray eyes looked back at him, betraying a mix of emotions.

"S-sousuke," he panted as the power around him flared and seethed burning at him, "Sousuke, what is happening?"

Aizen looked back at him and smiled soothingly.

"It will be all right," he said reassuringly, "The contact of your shinigami body with the transcendent forces has sent you into a rather sudden transition. That is all. It needs to be carefully managed, but you will be fine."

"Transition?" mused the noble.

Aizen nodded.

"I will explain more later, but for now, we need to focus on getting you back under some manner of control. Look into my eyes and do not resist me."

Byakuya looked up at him silently and his body began to slowly relax. He shivered softly as Aizen's reiatsu coursed into him and carefully wrapped around his spirit centers. The burning on his senses seemed to calm and the pain that had been so intense before slowly faded.

"Your spirit centers were adjusting to a new level of power," Aizen explained, "Usually, as shinigamis, we progress in smaller stages as we grow more powerful. But because of your contact with…transcendents, you have progressed a large amount quite suddenly."

"Are you saying that…what happened between the king and me…did this?" Byakuya asked, "But…you are transcendent too. If it is merely transcendence that did this, then why didn't this happen when I had sex with you…either time?"

"That is a question that requires a rather long explanation," said Aizen, "I will discuss it with you after you have rested and recovered a bit."

He lifted the noble into his arms and flash stepped back towards Kuchiki Manor. Byakuya wrapped his arms around Aizen's neck and rested his head wearily on the other man's shoulder. Aizen stole a glance at him but said nothing. He carried Byakuya back to the manor and deposited him in their bed. Torio appeared bearing hot tea and soup, then left the two alone again. Aizen watched in silence as Byakuya took sips of the soup and tea, then turned towards the door.

"You are leaving again?" Byakuya asked softly.

"I need to return to my division. I will come back in the morning. Just stay within the barrier I set and the king will not annoy you."

"You are angry with me?"

Aizen paused by the garden doors.

"I am angry with him," he said quietly, "I know you only went with him in the first place because you didn't trust me. And even if you hadn't gone with him then, he would only have summoned you later. He was going to call you to him eventually."

"Why does he hate you so?"

"That is another question that requires a long answer. We can talk about it after you have rested."

He started to pass through the barrier he had created, but stopped as Byakuya's voice sounded again behind him.

"Are you ever going to forgive me?" the noble asked softly.

Aizen turned and walked back to the bed. He sat down next to Byakuya and looked into the noble's dark eyes.

"Is that why you tried to throw yourself off that cliff, Byakuya?" he asked, "Because you thought that I would never forgive you?"

Byakuya lowered his eyes.

"I don't…know why that happened, really," he said quietly, "I don't remember making a conscious choice. I was just…weary."

"You're saying it was a sudden case of exhaustion?" Aizen said, sounding slightly amused and shaking his head, "I don't think so. I think that something was weighing too heavily on you and you became overwhelmed. You will be fine, but you really must rest. I told you. I will be back in the morning. We can talk then."

"Do you think that is all it will take to erase the guilty stain you see every time you look at me now?" Byakuya asked bluntly, "Let me save you the trouble of answering. It won't go away. The king used me like a whore, and that is what you see when you look at me now. I understand. So go, if that is what you need to do. I am not a child anymore. I don't need someone to hold my hand and tell me it's okay. I never have."

Byakuya's eyes closed and he loosed a helpless sigh as Aizen's hand curved around one porcelain cheek and coaxed him into a tender joining of their lips. Aizen's face remained close to his, their lips nearly touching again as he answered.

"I am not angry at you, nor am I holding a grudge, Byakuya. It is merely that if I stay with you tonight, I know I will not be able to resist you. And before we are together again, I need to reveal everything to you."

"But I remember now!" Byakuya said, shaking his head, "I remember everything."

Aizen smiled placatingly.

"That is very encouraging," he said warmly, "but realize that there were things that you did not know at the point at which Yoshiaki changed everything…things which we must discuss before we are together again. It will have a great impact on your future, so you need to be informed before you do something you cannot take back."

"Sousuke, you are my husband and my lover, ne? What could you have to tell me that would make me want to take that back? You saved my life. I would have ended up married to the king and probably would have had the life sucked out of me years ago, if not for you. There is nothing that will make me regret becoming your lover that night. And there is nothing that will change my mind about wanting to be with you tonight!"

"I see," said Aizen, giving him a smoldering look, "Well, Byakuya, what if I told you that being with me tonight would get you pregnant?"


	9. Rules for Procreation

**Chapter 9: Rules for Procreation**

_"Well, Byakuya, what if I told you that being with me tonight would get you pregnant?"_

Aizen was taken aback at the lack of reaction in the noble's gray eyes. He frowned in confusion and Byakuya's lips quirked slightly.

"Sousuke, for all that I may not be a transcendent, like yourself, yet, I _am _the Kuchiki clan leader. My most important duty to the king is not decorating his bed, but tending and adding to the library he entrusted to us, where the histories of the three worlds are kept. Did you think that in all of my years of doing so, that I had not once come across the knowledge that gender is unimportant among mated transcendents?"

"Then…you understand what is happening to you?" Aizen asked.

"I didn't at first," Byakuya admitted, "But as I remembered the true past, then as you explained that I was transitioning, it became clear that what is happening is that my contact with the king and with you has forced my body into the beginnings of transcendence. And yes, I am aware that once I become transcendent, another transcendent can impregnate me."

He looked into his husband's eyes meaningfully.

"And with the king so eager to lay his hands on me right now, are you willing to take the chance that the child I end up pregnant with will not be yours?" he asked calmly.

Aizen let out a long breath, then yielded a smile.

"The answer to that is…"

"Complicated," said Byakuya, "You said that before. However, I think if I am capable of leading a noble clan and a military division, as well as managing the largest archive in the three worlds, I can handle a rather complicated explanation, Sousuke."

Aizen gazed at him for a moment, an amused look taking over his features.

"I begin to think that you are not going to rest, even if I do leave. You are regaining that stubborn, relentless spirit of yours quickly now, ne? What am I to do about that?"

Byakuya's lips curved upward slightly.

"I think you are going to explain things to me now," he said quietly, "I will sleep better once I know all of what is happening."

"You think so?" Aizen asked, smirking, "Because once you are made fully aware, the time will be upon us for the seeding of this child."

"And you think that recovering my memories and being molested and drained by the king has made me frail? You _insult_ me, Sousuke!" the noble said coyly, "I am not so delicate as I look. You could ask the people who have underestimated me…ah, but they are all dead."

Aizen gave him a sly smile.

"Did you just threaten to kill me?" he asked, bringing his lips closer to Byakuya's, "I think I am becoming aroused…"

Byakuya's smoky eyes met his from behind a curtain of tumbled raven black strands of the noble's hair and his soft lips brushed his husband's lightly as he answered.

"Good," he breathed teasingly, "Then begin explaining quickly or you will become exceedingly uncomfortable waiting, ne?"

Aizen lunged forward, pushing the noble down onto his back, then settled on top of him and engaged his smirking lips in a rough, open-mouthed kiss. His hands quickly untied Byakuya's yukata, then pushed beneath it and caressed his shapely white torso as their kissing deepened, and Byakuya's hips pushed upward, teasing Aizen's hips into thrusting. The noble enjoyed the rise of pleasure that registered on Aizen's face and and in the hard swell that pressed up against his hardening member.

"You have come a long way from the young, naïve king's fiancée, Byakuya," Aizen said, running his tongue along the noble's fine lips, then plunging into his mouth again, "But…I think I like this new incarnation even better."

"Do you?" asked the noble, peering up at him through a mess of raven black hairs, "Even though it is more of a challenge?"

Aizen gave him a deadly smile.

"You remember what I told you that night, about never letting anyone touch you, who did not concern himself with your emotions, who was not in tune with your passions?"

"Yes."

"I broke my own rule, in a manner of speaking," Aizen explained.

Byakuya frowned.

"You don't think that I…"

"You were very young, and your perception of love was not so developed as it is now. And although being with you was indisputably lovely, being with you, as you are now, older and wiser, and with your recovered memories…it is beyond beautiful, my love."

He started to engage the noble in another kiss, but Byakuya pulled away and sat up.

"I think you were about to explain something to me," Byakuya said sedately.

Aizen gave him a sidelong glance, then pounced on him again and deprived him of his yukata.

"Very well, Byakuya," he said, running his tongue up the noble's white throat, "But while we talk, I want to look at you naked."

"Fine," agreed the noble, "But then, you had best talk quickly, because having our naked bodies in such close contact will likely reduce our ability to focus on the exchange of information."

Aizen smiled wickedly.

"You think I am not capable of talking and pleasuring you at the same time?" he asked, rubbing his thickened arousal against another that was just as piqued.

Byakuya let out a soft sigh and his eyelids fluttered.

"I am certain that you can," he said, blinking to clear his scattered thoughts, "But I am not certain that I would retain any useful information in that state. And my comprehension of the situation is rather important, ne?"

"Yes," agreed Aizen, sitting up and releasing Byakuya, then watching as he recovered his yukata.

His hand reached out and stopped Byakuya's from closing his yukata.

"I won't touch while we talk, but I would like to look," he said, giving Byakuya a devilish smile.

The noble gave him a smoldering glare and left his yukata open. Aizen's eyes wandered lazily over the sweet expanse of pretty, pale skin as he began his explanation.

"You already know that I am a transcendent, but you do not yet know how I am connected to Yoshiaki, except that we are enemies. There is a deeper story, one that explains how Yoshiaki became king, and why he imprisoned me as he did."

"I thought that he did so because I gave myself to you instead of him," said Byakuya, frowning.

"That _was_ the situation that brought things to a head…pardon the expression…but, we were already enemies before that…long before that. The story begins back in the spirit dimension, long before you were born. The king, Eiji and his queen, Eri, ruled over the three worlds at the time. The queen became pregnant, but near the time that she was about to deliver, the hollow royals invaded."

"The hollow royals?" Byakuya mused, "But they disappeared…"

"Hundreds of years ago, yes," Aizen confirmed, "What you need to know about their battle is that the queen was critically injured, and that it sent her into an early labor. The child that was born was affected…but they didn't realize, at first, how."

"So…the reason Yoshiaki needs to devour souls is because of the injury the queen received?" Byakuya asked.

"No, that came later," said Aizen, "At the time of the prince's birth, the reiatsu emerged from the queen, then…inexplicably, it split into two."

"Sh-she had twins?"

"Not twins," said Aizen, looking into Byakuya's eyes, "This was a single soul that was split as it emerged. It was a transcendent soul, so it did not die. Two bodies formed from that one soul, each bearing the mark of the heir. One of these was Yoshiaki."

Byakuya's eyes widened in realization, but the thought was so unbelievable that he stared at Aizen, waiting for confirmation.

"It is as you suspect," his husband confirmed, "I am the other half of that soul."

"But," said Byakuya, his frown deepening, "You…don't look alike. You don't look anything alike. If you came from the same soul…"

"We don't look alike, because at the point at which we split, we each began to evolve in our own ways. We look different…and we have different values and priorities. But…even though that is true, Yoshiaki and I both still draw our power from the same source, one single spirit core. We have the same inner world and even share the power of Kyouka Suigetsu, though the zanpakutou spirit resonates most strongly with me."

"But if all of that is true," said Byakuya, "then why is Yoshiaki king? I cannot see the former king giving power to one such as him."

"He didn't," said Aizen, "Our father had us both examined carefully, watched us both as we grew, and finally, in our eighteenth year, chose me as the heir to the throne. He had no idea what he was setting in motion with that decision!"

He paused and sighed softly.

"Prior to his decision, I put forth the idea that we should seek a way to share the throne, to rule together, as we are truly one soul, one power source anyway. But my father's advisors convinced him that such a thing would lead to discord, and that if there were disagreements, the fracturing of the king's power to act could have damaging consequences. Still, even after the king's decision, I went to my brother and I asked for help in creating a way that we could be rejoined…made one again. Yoshiaki accused me of simply wanting to drain him of his power…to steal his 'life.' And after I left the spirit dimension, to seek the way to reintegration, my brother conducted his own research. He could not find an answer, so he hatched a plan instead. While I was in the Seireitei, he sneaked into my laboratory and stole my research. It was from that research that he fashioned the hougyoku."

"But I thought that _you_ created the hougyoku," Byakuya said, frowning.

"In a manner of speaking, I did," said Aizen, "I had a prototype of a crystal housing, one that could collect and harness the power of multiple souls. Had I completed the project, I would have collected our souls and replaced my 'heart' with the device I created, thereby reconnecting our two souls into one again. But he stole the unfinished device, not realizing that in the state it was in, it needed to be fed souls to maintain its power. He fused with the hougyoku, and was forced to begin devouring souls. And in that state, he returned to the spirit dimension where he murdered our parents and sucked out their souls, so that he could gather enough raw power to challenge me. When I realized what he had done, I went to Urahara Kisuke and I had him work on a second device. But as I waited for its completion, the hougyoku within my brother grew stronger. It convinced him to accuse me of the murder of our parents, and he provided the research he stole from me to 'prove' I had been plotting against my parents. I was banished from the spirit dimension and created Aizen Sousuke, the shinigami as my identity here."

He paused for a moment and captured a strand of Byakuya's hair, which he stroked idly with his fingertips while he continued his story.

"Things were quiet for a time, but then, you were born."

"And why was I so important?" asked the noble.

Aizen smiled and looked into his eyes.

"Whenever an heir is officially named, the king gifts his child with the ability to create his very first soul…to imagine it, to form it in his mind, and to shape it. All of this happened when I was named heir, and it is the tradition that the first soul created by the heir is made the next consort. I created you. You are first and only soul I have ever created. And I created you to be my consort. Your soul was stored and protected by my father. But when he died, Yoshiaki found it, and he sent it into the cycle of rebirth to bring about your birth, so that he could claim you in my stead. Understand that you are now the only one who can birth the next heir. If you were to die, there would have to be a rebirth ritual to make a new king. The current line of kings would end. And that is a desperate situation we seek to avoid."

"But something tells me that you discovered some other roadblock in your plans for me to birth the next heir."

"Yes," Aizen said, nodding, "What we learned is that neither my brother nor I, alone can father the heir. We are one soul and we each carry part of what is needed to seed the heir."

Byakuya caught his breath in surprise.

"Th-then…he _had_ to be with me, at some point," the noble mused, his paling, "You both had to…"

"I had hoped to finish the newer version of the hougyoku…to integrate the two of us, so that it would not be an issue. But when my brother sent your soul into the cycle of rebirth, he left me without time for that. And then, he planned to use me to help him impregnate you, and then imprison me."

"And you…knew about this? When we were together?" asked Byakuya, a wounded look entering his eyes.

"Actually, no," said Aizen, "I thought that what you told me that night, about him setting you up to be used to augment his power, was the truth. And in reality, it was part of his plan. He did not reveal to me that he had been setting me up to awaken you."

"Awaken me?"

"When we were together for the first time, our sexual joining began your awakening as the royal consort. But…something else I did not know at the time was that he also had to take you to complete your awakening…so you were not fully awakened when I was with you on our wedding night. That is part of why you are not already pregnant. The other part is that, just as with your awakening, when you complete your transition to transcendence, you must be bred by both of us again to become pregnant."

"Ah," said Byakuya, "So…if you did not know all of this when we were first together, when did you learn of it?"

"The night we were together," said Aizen, "Yoshiaki confronted me about being with you. He used the power he gained from our parents' souls to imprison me. He would have killed me, but he decided that he wanted to use me to create the heir, and then he would kill me afterward."

"So, why didn't he sleep with me then?" asked Byakuya, looking confused, "He could have completed his plans already."

"He couldn't, because it took too much of his power to imprison me. He needed time to build up his power again. But his attempts to do so caused a disruption in the spiritual core of the three worlds. The imbalance threatened to end our worlds, and when he realized that, he was forced to release me, because we could only restore the balance together. In return for my help, he agreed to allow me to have my name cleared in the Seireitei, and marry you. I knew he could be setting me up to impregnate you, after which he would probably attempt to take you back to the spirit dimension, but I wanted to gain my freedom, so I went along with him."

"And so now, he waits for you to sleep with me again, so that he can take me back to the spirit dimension and finish the impregnation, ne?"

Aizen eyed him for a moment.

"You seem quite underwhelmed by that, I think. Doesn't it bother you, Byakuya?"

"Should it?" asked the noble, "Think of it this way. I was made to bear the next heir. We cannot change facts of how that has to be done, Sousuke, but we can work to try to manage things before the heir is born."

"That is why I have been reticent about being close to you," Aizen admitted, "Being with you is painful, because as soon as I am with you again, he will take you from me…and make you his prisoner. He will attempt to use you to bear the heir, then will continue to use you to feed the hougyoku."

"And you cannot enter the spirit dimension?" Byakuya asked.

"I have a way in, but I do not have the means to overcome my brother," admitted Aizen, "Kisuke is still working on the second hougyoku, so I cannot be reintegrated. And the only way for me to kill Yoshiaki is to join forces with the balance to our power, the hollow royals. The three of us could overpower and kill him. But I hesitate to trust them. Because killing a part of myself will weaken me…and the hollow royals would likely attack me while I was weakened. It is their way."

"I understand," said Byakuya, "But Sousuke, I have a question. If Kisuke finished the second hougyoku, and you are reintegrated, how are you so sure that you would gain dominance?"

"I am not completely sure," said Aizen, shaking his head.

"So…if you reintegrate, then he could overpower you. He could gain your power too. Then you would not be here, and he would lead the three worlds."

"But with our integration, the hougyoku he fused with will be destroyed by the other. Also, my being gone would mean he had no enemy. And the hougyoku being destroyed would mean that he would no longer have to drain souls."

He touched Byakuya's face lightly.

"I know that would leave you as his consort, but I think that the evil that controls him right now will fade if he is not opposed."

"But he is not the rightful king!" Byakuya insisted.

"Which leads me to believe that I will triumph over him if we are reintegrated. He will have to oppose me without the added power of the hougyoku, and so, I think that in the end, the one of us who resonates more strongly with our core power will prevail. That has always been me. So I believe I will be the dominant personality in the end."

"I wish I could say that I was encouraged," said Byakuya, "But it seems there is much uncertainty."

"And as long as there is, then I hesitate to take the next step with you. I do not want to lose you, Byakuya. And because you have been fully awakened, my urge to mate with you becomes stronger with each passing moment. But once I do, there is no length that Yoshiaki will not go to, to reach you. And even though he desires the birth of the heir, he also hungers for power. He may not be able to restrain himself from draining you and destroying the child you carry. This is what I meant when I said that it was complicated."

"I understand," said the noble, "And I will not hold it against you that you must leave. Go then, Sousuke. I will be all right."

"Are you sure?" Aizen asked, leaning forward and kissing his lips gently.

Byakuya nodded.

"I will see you in the morning."

Aizen captured his lips in another, sweet, longing kiss. He released the noble reluctantly and carefully set a protective shield around his bedroom.

"Your attendants may enter," said Aizen, "but no others. Good night, Byakuya."

"Good night, Sousuke," said Byakuya, an oddly sad shine in his gray eyes.

He watched as Aizen left, then walked into the dressing area and changed into a fresh yukata. He left the dressing area and walked past the bed, moving to the barrier Aizen had constructed and pausing.

_I think I understand our position better than you do, Sousuke, _he thought, o_r perhaps you didn't want to see our best option. The thing that will place us in the best position is for Yoshiaki to be with me first. Then…at least he will have to return me to you to complete the breeding. You knew that when you took me from him earlier. I think you just don't want to think of him touching me. I love you for that._

_But I also know what I have to do to give us the best chance to succeed…_

_Please forgive me, Sousuke._

He took a steadying breath, then calmly shattered the barrier. He flash stepped to the family archive, sensing that Aizen had sensed what he had done and was returning to the manor to stop him. He ran into the archive and shut the door behind him, then looked up and froze with uncertainty as he spotted Yoshiaki standing in front of him.

"So you know the situation," said the king, smiling at him, "And you are making what you think to be your best move, ne?"

Byakuya stared at him silently.

"You are a man of strategy," Yoshiaki said calmly, "This is not just your best move, but your only move, Byakuya."

He smiled cryptically.

"But have you considered what mine will be?"


	10. Captivation

**Chapter 10: Captivation**

"Are you comfortable, Byakuya?" Yoshiaki's voice asked, bringing the noble back to awareness.

He tried to open his eyes to see where he had been taken, but encountered only an odd grayness. His heart skipped painfully and he tried to sit up, but found that he was lying on his stomach, completely bared, and something was wrapped around his wrists, waist and ankles. He registered the light pressure and softly emanating power of a reiatsu suppressing collar around his neck, then felt the king's hand touch his shoulder and froze.

"Bya dear, I asked you a question," Yoshiaki went on, "Are you comfortable? I want to be sure that I did not bind you too tightly. If I did, tell me and I will loosen your bindings."

"B-but, why can't I see?" Byakuya asked unsteadily, "And why did you do this? I came to you willingly. There is no need for you to bind me."

"Ah," said the king, running a gentle palm down his exposed back and curving his hand around the noble's soft bottom, "but there is. You and I both know why you came back to me. My brother told you how things were with us, ne? And once he did, you couldn't get here quickly enough to spread you pretty white thighs for me, so I could help you become pregnant. What a lovely and reckless man you are, Byakuya. But...I am not of a mind to be used by the two of you."

He removed his yukata, and Byakuya shivered as the king slid the silken material across his back. He laid down on top of the restrained noble, bringing his lips to the pale shell of an ear.

"But just because I will not be used by you doesn't mean that I will leave you disappointed in your efforts," he breathed hotly, nipping at a flushed earlobe, "If you want me so badly, I will certainly oblige you. However, to be sure that you do not simply gather my seed and abandon me, I will keep you blinded and bound, here in this room. We can have all of the time together you wish, Byakuya. I assure you, I will not disappoint you in your quest for illicit pleasures."

"Then...you mean to keep me imprisoned here and to use me for your pleasure," Byakuya said quietly.

"Well," said Yoshiaki, pressing his hips forward and rubbing his warm, swollen member against the noble's bared bottom, "you were planning to use me to make your child. Then, just as quickly, you would have abandoned me, wouldn't you? So I think of this as just compensation. We both get something we want from this. I will, at some point, give you my seed, and you will offer me whatever I desire in return. I will not hurt you. You will after all, be carrying my heir."

"But to do that..." Byakuya began.

Then he froze.

"You...you are going to use me to bring him here," he said, trying again to sit up, but falling onto his stomach again as the bonds around him tightened, "You know he will come for me and you are using me to trap him!"

"What a bright boy you are, Byakuya," the king said, taking his hard, leaking cock in his hand and teasing Byakuya's entrance, "You make sweet, irresistible bait, ne?"

Byakuya flinched and tried to pull away, but his bindings moved with him, holding him still as Yoshiaki made a line of kisses down his spine, then manipulated his bindings so that his ankles were pulled away from each other and his legs parted. He knelt between Byakuya's spread legs, reaching down to gently stimulate the noble's exposed genitals and lazily exploring his entrance with a relentlessly probing tongue. Byakuya gasped and tried to pull away, but was quickly stopped as his bonds tightened warningly. Yoshiaki's tongue halted its gentle assault and the king's fingers penetrated Byakuya's entrance, making him catch his breath and loose a soft moan of protest. He felt warm, soft kisses on his bottom, then all along the length of his back as Yoshiaki's fingers slid in and out of him.

"Relax," Yoshiaki whispered into his ear, "This is what you wanted, ne? You wanted this so that you would be able to carry our baby. You think you do this for him, but I know your true reasons for doing this so readily, Byakuya."

He pulled back the curtain of long, raven black strands on one side and kissed the noble's sweat dampened shoulder.

"You think that you do this for him, but the truth is, you know that I am more powerful than him. In addition to the power he and I share, I have the ability to draw power out of living creatures to use to overcome him. Because of this, I will kill him. And when I do, you want to have some part of him to cling to...to remember him by. I will certainly be generous enough to grant you that. After all, you will be the one who sets him up to fall. It is only right that I should reward my most treasured servant."

"I am your servant," Byakuya acknowledged softly, the admission making Yoshiaki freeze for a moment, staring down at the pretty contrast of the noble's black hair against his pale, white flesh, "And it is because of that, that I will do what has to be done."

"You mean, lying with me to make this child?" the king asked in a low, almost angry voice.

Byakuya gently extracted himself and tried to sit up. This time, the bonds did not impede him, but allowed him to turn and face the kneeling king. The noble's searching fingers reached blindly for the king and found their way up his still body, to his face. Byakuya leaned forward and brought his lips slowly to meet the king's in a slow, tentative kiss. Yoshiaki stared at him curiously as Byakuya held his face in both hands and kissed him more deeply.

"What are you doing?" Yoshiaki asked in a guarded voice, "I _know_ that you love him and not me. Why are you kissing me like that?"

"It is quite simple," Byakuya said, following the curve of the king's cheek with his fingertips, "When I love someone, I love all of that person. For all that you are separate from him, you are still a part of him. I cannot love one part of Sousuke and not love another."

Yoshiaki's eyes flared dangerously and he struck the noble across the cheek, sending him crashing down onto the bed. Byakuya remained frozen where he fell, feeling the king's glare and waiting for another shock of pain. To his surprise, Yoshiaki remained still for some time after, quietly contemplating the noble's bound form and thinking deeply. When he finally moved again, it was to lean forward and to carefully heal the bruise he had caused on Byakuya's pale cheek. His fingers slid down from the noble's cheek, to his throat, where it paused.

"I think, perhaps, it would be better if you kept your thoughts to yourself, Byakuya," he said, sending a soft throb of power into the noble's throat.

Byakuya's lips parted to answer him, but he found that he could no longer speak. His body stiffened for a moment, then he released a sigh of resignation and his head lowered in acceptance. Yoshiaki studied him in silence for a moment, then threaded his fingers into the noble's silken hair and guided him to his flushed, hungry member. Byakuya's unseeing eyes looked straight ahead and his mouth wrapped obediently around the monarch's large erection. He sank down on the king's length, sucking gently, then pulled back, stroking the long shaft with his tongue as Yoshiaki gave an unbidden sigh of passion and watched with hazy eyes as the bound noble continued to pleasure him. He pushed his hips upward as Byakuya's mouth sank down on him again, thrusting carefully...softly fucking that pretty, willing mouth and trying to forget what the noble had said that had made him so angry.

"I am not like him," he said in a low, seething tone as Byakuya's head rose and fell between his thighs, "I am better than him...and I _will _kill him in the end. Then you will have to forget about him, Byakuya. You will forget he ever existed and you will love me with all of your heart."

He clenched the bed sheets tightly with one hand as his pleasure began to crest, and with the other, forced Byakuya's head down. He watched as the noble struggled to swallow his release, then he leaned back against the pillows and guided Byakuya to the escaped bits that had dribbled down onto his inner thighs. He couldn't help but be entranced at the sight of Byakuya's pretty pink tongue running over his flesh. He bore it for as long as he could, then grabbed Byakuya by the collar and dragged him into a hard, penetrating kiss. He probed the noble's mouth deeply, treasuring the blending of his seed with Byakuya's sweet saliva. And the more he treasured the noble's lovely mouth, the more he hated the man who had claimed Byakuya's heart. The hatred inside him swelled and his recently sated cock pulsed and hardened again.

Yoshiaki moved around behind the bound noble, using the kido ropes to raise Byakuya's slender hands above his head and to lift the noble onto his knees. He knelt behind the paler man, wrapping his arms around the slim, white body and pressing up against his back as the fingers of one hand tormented Byakuya's erect, pink nipples and the other slid down between his parted thighs and found his erect member. He caught the noble's collar lightly in his teeth, then Byakuya felt a kiss on his throat and found he could speak again.

"Do not say anything," Yoshiaki warned him, "I only returned your voice so that I could hear the sounds you make when I take you. One word and I will make you silent again. Do you understand, Byakuya?"

Byakuya gave a short nod, then flinched and gasped as Yoshiaki bit down on his neck, nibbling his way to the noble's flushed earlobe. Hot breath tickled Byakuya's throat and shoulder as the king wrapped an arm around his waist and positioned himself at the noble's entrance. He held Byakuya suspended as he entered the noble in slow, mind-numbing thrusts, then released him and let him fall onto his hands and knees. His powerful, golden eyes raked over the noble's white back, feasting on the sight as he took hold of Byakuya's hips and began thrusting.

He smiled at the lusty moan that escaped the noble's lips as he was taken. One hand continued to hold on to Byakuya's hip as the other wrapped around him and began to stroke his swollen member. He laughed inwardly as Byakuya struggled to remain silent while the king thrust in and out of him.

"Byakuya, my love," he panted, "Don't be so quiet. I know you are feeling the pleasure. Don't try to hide the fact. You can't hide anything from me. I am the king and I see right through it all. Now, let me hear you..."

Byakuya bit his lips, resisting the sounds that welled up inside him and longed to escape. He fought the temptation to make himself forget who he was with and to accept the offered pleasure blindly. Yoshiaki made a sound of disapproval and slowed for a moment, removing his hand from the noble's riled cock. When it returned, Byakuya released a helpless sound of surprise as something slid onto his erect penis, tightening around it and holding him poised, just short of climax. The king's length penetrated him deeply, striking the pleasure center inside of him repeatedly and bringing him swiftly to the ends of his wits. Sweat ran down his shaking body and his arms threatened to collapse. Yoshiaki continued to thrust into him relentlessly, his eyes glowing with anticipation as Byakuya's considerable control slowly failed him and his defenses began to crumble.

The noble loosed a shuddering moan of surrender, then gasped as the king smiled down at him and shattered the restrictive ring that held him back from orgasm. Byakuya gave a helpless scream of completion and collapsed onto the bed, shaking and panting harshly as Yoshiaki heat filled him inside, then the king laid down next to him and stroked his face and hair with gentle fingertips.

"You see, that wasn't so difficult," the king said, kissing him beneath his ear, "We are good together, Byakuya. You will make the perfect consort. We will be very happy together. You will see. Once he is gone...yes, once he is gone and you let go of your allegiance to him. We will be happy. We will be happy and Aizen Sousuke will be gone and forgotten."

His fingers touched Byakuya's throat, silencing the noble before he could respond. He turned Byakuya onto his back and laid himself on top of the noble, feeding him slow, deep kisses as weariness began to claim him. He withdrew then and rose from the bed, but stopped as Byakuya began to struggle fitfully within his bonds. He sat down next to the noble, touching him again to allow him to speak.

"What is it?" he asked quietly, "I am sorry. I cannot release you. Sousuke would only find a way to take you away from me...or you would escape."

"Y-you would leave me alone like this?" Byakuya asked in an uncharacteristically wounded tone, "Defenseless and cloaked in darkness? My lord, I don't even know where I am!"

"My apologies," the king said contritely, "If there was any other way I could be sure, then I would be more lenient with you. But I know you are as determined to return to him as he is to take you back. I am not giving you back to him, Byakuya."

"But you said that you wanted me to become pregnant. How will you do that if you keep me hidden away? Sousuke still has to be with me to complete the breeding."

The king bent and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek.

"You let me worry about that. Just relax and get some rest. I will have a servant bring you some tea and food in a bit."

Byakuya started to object, but was quickly silenced again, then collapsed into a pretty heap on the bed as Yoshiaki smiled affectionately at him and calmly induced sleep. The king leaned over him and covered him with a soft blanket, then kissed his lips gently and left the room.

Byakuya remained senseless until some time later, when an attendant entered the room and brought him awake again. He complied sleepily as the attendant propped him up with pillows, then set a cup of hot tea in his hands.

"I can feed you if you like," the young man offered.

Byakuya dropped the cup off the edge of the bed and turned his head away.

"Now, don't be difficult, Kuchiki-sama," the youth said, shaking his head and picking up the abandoned cup, "He'll have us force you if he has to, and I really don't want to do that. His majesty is doing the best he can to make you comfortable. You are only making things more difficult for yourself."

He filled the cup again and brought it carefully to Byakuya's lips.

"Go on, then," the attendant urged him, "Drink it."

"Is he giving you trouble?" asked a soft, familiar voice from the doorway.

"Sousuke!" Byakuya mouthed soundlessly.

"Shatter, Kyouka Suigetsu," his husband's voice said calmly.

He paused for a moment as the servant turned and looked at him.

"Oh, your majesty," he said, blinking, "I thought you had left the palace."

"I will be leaving soon," Aizen said, "Go now. I will tend to Byakuya."

"Y-yes, my lord!" the servant said, exiting the room quickly and closing the door behind him.

"Well now," said Aizen, approaching his bound lover and stopping beside the bed, "You seem to have gotten yourself into some mischief, haven't you, watashi no koi?"

He sat down on the edge of the bed, smirking as Byakuya's arms wrapped around him and the noble embraced him with trembling arms.

"You see now that perhaps you should have slowed down and given this more thought before running recklessly to him. You should have expected that he would be prepared, Byakuya. You are lucky that I already was able to return to the spirit dimension and didn't have to struggle to find a way."

He frowned, noting Byakuya's odd silence and his curiously hazy eyes. He caught the noble by the chin and sighed disapprovingly. His fingertips brushed against the collar at Byakuya's throat and the noble's voice returned.

"S-sousuke!" he gasped, "How...?"

"I have known for a long time how. I didn't return here because I hadn't the means to defeat my brother. I still lack that, but I wasn't about to leave you here with him like this...blinded, bound...and alone. It must have been horrible."

"Well," said Byakuya, "I wasn't here for very long, but...admittedly, I was distressed when he left me like this. I want to see you, Sousuke. I need you to make it so that I can see."

"Hmmm," said Aizen, eyeing Byakuya's naked, bound form appreciatively, "I assure you that I will. But...I think that before I do, I had best remind you of the consequences of rash action..."

Byakuya caught his breath in surprise as he was gently tackled and brought down on the bed.

"Sousuke!" he objected, "Might I remind you that we are in his palace? He could come back at any moment! Unbind me and let's get out of here!"

Aizen's brown eyes sparked mischievously.

"Oh, I don't think so," he said, taking hold of the noble's collar and pulling him in for a kiss, "You are lovely like this, Byakuya! I am overcome."

"Sousuke!"

Aizen laughed and stopped his objections with another scathing kiss.

"Don't worry, I will sense him if he approaches," he promised the restrained noble.

He tugged on the kido ropes and raised the noble's bound hands above his head.

"Damn you!" Byakuya hissed, "You talk about _me_ being reckless!"

He took a breath and started to say more, but found his mouth sweetly invaded. Moments later, he was too breathless to object at all.


	11. Manipulations

**Chapter 11: Manipulations**

"You are _insane_!" Byakuya hissed furiously, as his bound hands were drawn upward until he was dragged onto his knees, "And just because _you_ have a death wish doesn't mean you have to drag me into this too! Remember, I will be that man's _consort_ if you die! And while I don't want to believe he would really harm me, he was deranged enough to take my voice and vision! I don't want to consider what else he might deprive me of!"

Aizen smiled and pulled the tumbled hair away from one pale shoulder, sending shivers down the angry noble's spine as he ran his tongue languidly up the length of Byakuya's graceful, white neck, while teasing his nipples, then sliding a hand down over the finely shaped breast and slender belly, lingering inside his navel, then following the trail of fine, black hairs down to his blossoming member. Byakuya took a flustered breath as he felt something tighten around the base of his erection.

"Bastard!" he gasped, pulling on the restraints and leaning away, "What are you doing?"

"I was noticing something," Aizen said, teasing the noble's pale throat with his hot breath until it wore a pretty blush, "You go on and on about how he was cruel to you and what will happen to you, but you say nothing of how devastated you would be if he killed me. You say nothing of how you would pine after me when I was gone. You are quite selfish, watashi no koi. My heart aches at how you have neglected to think of me."

"N-neglected to think...of you?" snapped Byakuya, "You _aren't _the one tied up and blinded right now! Caught between a god who would blind and mute me at will...use me as his personal plaything and one so reckless he would die and leave me..."

"Oh, stop right there," Aizen said smirking, and rubbing his seething arousal against Byakuya's soft bottom and nipping at a delicate earlobe, "That is perfect...the perfect balance of devotion and need. Don't clutter it with any more words."

"I wasn't finished," Byakuya said, frowning, "I..."

"Oh, I know you weren't finished. I just knew that if I let you go on and on, you would only say something nasty, so I stopped you before you could insult me. And..." he said, curling his fingers teasingly around Byakuya's hungry cock, "I was nice enough not to mute you, ne?"

Even under the seal, Byakuya's reiatsu flared impressively. He twisted and tried to pull away.

"You stupid, arrogant imbecile!" the noble yelled, "Let me _out _of this!"

He sucked in a shocked breath as he realized how loud he had been, then his frown deepened as he realized that Aizen had not reacted to it at all. Aizen stroked the noble's length and assaulted his bare throat with sharp nips and biting kisses.

"Oh, do go on," he whispered in a flushed ear, "It's all right, no one can hear you. I used Kyoka Suigetsu to assure our privacy. Only my brother would hear you, and he is out looking for me right now."

"And when he doesn't find you, he will be back!" panted the noble, catching his breath and quivering as Aizen's fingers slid over the sensitive skin of his sac and traced his entrance.

"Why don't you let me worry about that?"

Byakuya made a soft sound of surprise as Aizen manipulated the restraints and he was brought down on his back. He struck out with his feet, trying to break the restraints, but was quickly subdued, his legs spread wide and lashed to the posts at the end of the bed.

"You are still so tense, Byakuya," he commented, kissing his way along the noble's collarbone, then licking his throat again, "Take a breath or two and let yourself enjoy this."

"I would enjoy it more if we weren't in the king's palace!" Byakuya insisted, still fighting the restraints and trying to break the seal on his powers.

"But, I _am_ the rightful king," Aizen said, returning to the noble's mouth and plunging inside, while sliding his leaking erection against Byakuya's, "This is my rightful home and you are supposed to be _my _consort."

"But none of the matters because your brother is still king. And it is madness for you to be doing this, when there is so much at stake!"

"Do you really think there is?" Aizen asked, his tone darkening slightly, "Do you think he would be a horrid king if he wasn't focused so heavily on trying to kill me?"

Byakuya could feel the man's eyes watching him carefully as he silently searched for an answer.

"Interesting," Aizen went on in a voice that sent a chill down the noble's spine, "Byakuya, I have not felt the need to ask until now, because I thought I knew the answer to this question, but...what do you feel for him?"

Byakuya laid quietly beneath Aizen's body, feeling the touches of the man's breath on his skin, the soft pulses of his heartbeat where there skin touched, and the intensity of his glare as the silence between them deepened.

"Are you attracted to him?" Aizen asked, more pointedly, holding himself still atop the noble and sending a flare of reiatsu through him to restore his vision.

Byakuya shivered inwardly as his eyes recovered their ability to perceive, and he was met with brown eyes that bored down into his and seemed to see everything.

"Sousuke," he said, finally, "You told me that...you are not twins. You are not really even brothers. You are two parts of a complete soul that was broken apart when you were born. What am I supposed to feel, knowing that? Knowing that, even if he has developed separately from you, the two of you are still connected? And you, yourself admitted you wanted to try to reintegrate."

"That was a long time ago," Aizen said, his eyes glinting dangerously, "before he turned against me. I did try to protect him, but I no longer feel the impulse to do so. Yet...you do."

"S-sousuke...?"

"I was watching, you know," Aizen went on, his brown eyes holding Byakuya even more tightly than the bindings he was in, "I saw everything he did to you, and I heard what you both said. I thought you were playing games with him. But I wonder..."

Byakuya gasped and began to struggle as Aizen's face altered and faded until he found himself looking at Yoshiaki. His voice echoed, an odd crossing of the two men as he continued to speak.

"Did you mean what you said? Do you find it impossible to hate any part of me, no matter how corrupt it is? Could it be that you didn't just tolerate him fucking you, but that you connected with him...began to bond?"

Aizen glared deeply into Byakuya's stricken eyes.

"You don't know, do you?" he asked, tracing the bound noble's lips with a soft fingertip, "You thought you did, but when you were with him this time, you felt sympathy for him."

"I feel sympathy for both of you, who should have been made close by your situation, but who were driven apart by the council's manipulation of the former king. But that doesn't mean that I wanted to be with him. Honestly, it doesn't!"

"Then...you didn't enjoy him putting his hands on you?" asked Aizen, holding Yoshiaki's likeness around him as he stroked Byakuya's erection and bit down on his throat, "You weren't responsive to him? Because...you _looked_ like you were responding."

"I tried to reach out to him," Byakuya said, turning his head and closing his eyes, "I thought that perhaps violence could be avoided."

"You tried to vamp him, then?" asked Aizen, "Well, you not only turned him on. You affected me, as well. I've never actually seen you being taken from a distance, like that. Despite wanting to kill both of you, I couldn't help but think how beautiful you are in the throes of orgasm, with your back arched, hands clenched, eyes wide and damp like they were, your mouth open and screaming in surrender. I've made it happen, but I've never watched it like that. You are certainly talented. _I _would have been tempted, and I knew you were manipulating him, Byakuya. Sympathetic or not, you wanted to stop him."

"Because I...didn't want..."

Byakuya stopped himself forcibly. Aizen studied his wide, distressed eyes and felt a shiver pass through the noble.

"You didn't want what?" Aizen said, letting the image of Yoshiaki fade and return to his own countenance, "Tell me."

Byakuya swallowed hard, made almost frozen inside by the deadly mix of jealousy and fury that sparked beneath his lover's otherwise calm eyes. He knew that to say the wrong thing now would ignite the emotion and cause the situation to spin out of control.

"Sousuke," he said softly, "I will honestly admit that I do not want either you or Yoshiaki to be hurt or killed...but...do not take that to mean that I want to be with him. I _had _to lie with him to make the heir, but I do not love him, nor will I. I only think that you and Yoshiaki should act to make things right between you."

"Why?" asked Aizen coldly, "He killed our parents and drained them, Byakuya. He trapped me in between worlds for years, and wants to kill me. Why would you possibly expect I would not retaliate?"

"You and your brother have a common enemy, one you thought you might use against him, but...of whom you should be wary, Sousuke."

"The hollow royals? The king and queen of Hueco Mundo? You fear them?"

Byakuya let out a frustrated breath.

"They have reason to play one of you against the other. You and Yoshiaki both know this! Yet both of you have indicated that you would turn to them to defeat one another. I think they conceal themselves merely to wait and see who reaches them first. They will pretend to assist one, then when the other is dead, and the survivor is weakened, they will kill the one who survives. In the end, we will all die, and the hollow royals will gain control of the spirit dimension!"

"You are assuming that I will not convince them to overthrow him and to make arrangements for peace after I reclaim my rightful throne."

"And what do they receive, Sousuke?" Byakuya asked pointedly, "Are they truly so wary of you that they feel the need to sue for peace before you ever take the throne? I sense more to this than that! You and Yoshiaki are both in danger from the hollow royals...and I believe that if you do not find a way to end things equitably, it will be your downfall. And I do not want to lose you, Sousuke! Not now...after all we have already had to endure to find our way back to each other!"

He paused questioningly, watching as Aizen's eyes softened and became beautifully affectionate again.

"There, that's what I was looking for," the brown-eyed shinigami said, sliding his fingers under Byakuya's chin and lifting it so their eyes met more directly, "Sometimes you are so difficult to read, Byakuya. It is a challenge that makes you enthralling, of course. But it does one to wonder."

"What are you talking about?" asked the noble, looking genuinely confused.

"All of this time...since I entered this room, I have sought only one thing from you. I only wished to be sure of your love, Byakuya. And although I nearly had to drag it out of you, you finally said it. You are glad we are back together. And you will do whatever you have to, to protect our love."

Aizen shook his head reprovingly.

"You are deliciously difficult," he said, appreciatively, "I enjoy engaging your mind nearly as much as I love taking your body."

He laughed softly as Byakuya's lips turned downward and the noble scowled at him.

"Oh, don't start being unpleasant again," Aizen said, "We should enjoy these lovely, stolen moments while we can, ne? While we are all alone and able to focus solely on one another?"

Byakuya let out an annoyed breath.

"We are, most certainly not alone!" he snapped, "In case you've forgotten, we are in your brother's palace, surrounded by _his _servants and..."

"They can't see or hear us," Aizen reminded them, "If they walk in on us in the throes of pleasure, all they will see is you curled up and sleeping alone here. Now...where were we?"

"I think you were about to take off these bindings," Byakuya said, frowning, "so that we could leave and find a more appropriate place for exchanging affections!"

Aizen smiled disarmingly.

"But I like it here, where we are. Yoshiaki has...interesting toys, ne? Shall we explore some more?"

"You don't care that he could come back and...and..."

"And what?" asked Aizen, brushing a few errant hairs out of the noble's angry eyes, "He couldn't harm me...or you, while I'm here. And really, he needed me to finish impregnating you."

"But that was supposed to happen _after_ I came back! Not _here_!"

He started to say more, but was stopped as Aizen's mouth descended on his again, as his lover's hot tongue thrust past his protesting lips and invaded his mouth, silencing him. Aizen's seething arousal slid slowly up and down the length of his, teasing drops of pearly fluid from the head, and his hands seemed to touch him everywhere...threading through the silken lengths of his hair, teasing his painfully erect nipples, gently rubbing the soft, slender abdomen, then curling around their thrusting members and stroking them as they rubbed more fiercely against each other.

Byakuya groaned in protest as the other man's body lifted off of his, then inhaled sharply and panted wantonly as Aizen slowly worked his way down the noble's torso, attacking the sensitive skin with hard strokes, teasing caresses, wet licks and brushed kisses. He sank down on Byakuya's riled member, licking and sucking him shamelessly as Byakuya writhed beneath him and uttered dark curses in retaliation for the glowing kido ring around his erection that held him painfully close to absolute bliss, but refused to allow him to reach it. The noble released a sound that was both a heavy, aching moan and a strangled sob of wanton need. And when his lover's fingers thrust into his entrance and began to prepare him, Byakuya suffered a truly uncharacteristic loss of composure.

"Sousuke, for the love of kami, take that damned thing _off_ of me!" he pleaded feverishly.

He quivered as the probing fingers found the bundle of sensitive nerves inside him and stimulated the area mercilessly.

"Sousuke!" he cried, his body quivering in protest.

Aizen's fingers slipped under the collar at his throat and he adjusted the bindings on the noble's wrists and ankles so he could drag Byakuya onto his hands and knees. The overwhelmed noble merely clenched the sheets tightly in his hands and lowered his head, moaning fitfully and waiting for Aizen to enter him. He made a sound of surprise as Aizen's body wrapped warmly around his and his fingers lightly touched the ring encircling Byakuya's inflamed arousal. Aizen's lips brushed against a sweetly flushed earlobe and his breath tickled the noble's throat.

"My apologies," Aizen said softly, "but I thought it only fair that you suffer a fraction of what I did while I watched him take you. I admit to being horribly jealous. I hate the thought of _anyone_ but me touching you. I do hope you remember that in the future."

Byakuya kept his head lowered and did not respond in any way.

"I crafted you myself, breath and spirit, body and soul. I lit the fires that burn inside you...that light your eyes and color your flesh. End to end, you are mine, and together, we are the ones meant to rule these lands."

Byakuya loosed a soft, dizzy moan as Aizen's palm slid down his sweat-dampened back and he moved into position behind the overcome noble. He entered in slow, gentle thrusts, then laid his chest against Byakuya's back. The noble's arms quaked, then gave way and he dropped onto his forearms, his hips still held up by the band around his slender waist. Aizen dropped down with him and he gently licked the shell of one pale ear. He loosed all of the noble's bindings and smilingly made the ring around Byakuya's tormented length disappear. Byakuya fell the rest of the way onto his stomach and remained still as Aizen kissed the back of one shoulder and began to thrust into him. Lost for words, the noble only raised his hips slightly to welcome his lover's invasion of his body. He seemed to disappear into their movements, his mind spinning softly into sweet oblivion as their pleasure peaked. He felt the intense heat of Aizen's release and knew he must have screamed as he finally climaxed, but everything seemed to have gone hazy and surreal around him, and he found himself immobilized and breathless as Aizen's body collapsed onto his. He blinked slowly to try to clear his vision, and found he had been turned onto his back and was looking up into Aizen's smiling brown eyes. He couldn't move or speak, but could only stare as his lover shared a few last kisses, then pulled away. He started to sit up, but felt a soft shock pass through his body and fell back, stunned. He wanted to scream at Aizen's next words, but had lost the power to move or object.

"Listen carefully," Aizen whispered into his ear, "My brother has been watching us this entire time. He is waiting for me to try to leave with you. But...now that the heir has been seeded, you need protection...and I do not mean protection from _him_. You could be used by our enemies. So as much as I hate to do this, I must leave you here. Yoshiaki won't hurt you. He will be protective of you. And he may attempt to use my leaving as a way to convince you to turn to him. I hope you will think twice before doing so. While you are here, in the palace, I want you to find out who my brother's supporters and confidantes are. I need to know who can be trusted and who cannot. I will be back soon. I am tracking the hollow royals and will return as soon as I have secured their promise to stay out of this. No...I do not plan to use them against Yoshiaki. I have another plan, but I need to make sure that the hollow royals do not interfere. Distract my brother. Find out who supports him. And do not leave the palace, for any reason, until I return. Rest now. Our exertions have left you weary, I think."

"B-bastard," Byakuya managed as a soft swell of reiatsu sent him off to sleep, "S-sousuke...don't...leave me...here."

Aizen kissed the sleeping noble on the lips, then wrapped him warmly in blankets and flash stepped away.

After several minutes, another flash step sounded and Yoshiaki appeared in the room. He walked quietly to the bed and gazed down at the sleeping noble.

"What are you up to, Brother?" he said quietly.

He studied Byakuya for several minutes longer, then reached down and removed the reiatsu suppressing collar from around his neck. He lifted the noble into his arms and carried him to a well appointed room that overlooked the King's Garden. He laid Byakuya in the large, comfortable bed in the room and left the balcony doors open. Then, he called an attendant into the room.

"Akio," he said quietly, "I want you to remain here with Byakuya. You are to make certain that no one annoys him, and also that he does not attempt to leave the palace. He is carrying the royal heir and needs to be kept safe."

"Hai, Yoshiaki-sama," said the youth, "I will watch over him carefully."

"When he wakes, bathe him and encourage him to eat. He needs to take care of himself. And...inform me at once if he seems out of sorts. I don't know that he was expecting my brother to abandon him. He may experience some melancholy regarding that."

"Of course, sir."

He left the attendant sitting quietly in the doorway to Byakuya's room and left the palace, searching carefully for signs of his brother's presence.

"What are you up to?" he mused, sensing his direction and turning towards it, "Whatever it is...it will fail."


End file.
